Remembering Chico

Tonight as I sat at the computer posting comments on Facebook, my mind went back to decades ago when we had a chimp named Chico. We took him off the hands of missioanries in Kinshasa who had no problem letting him go. They at that time lived in Kinshasa, had taken Chico into their lives when he was a baby, and he was now in need of more space.

We drove our 1957 Mercedes Army Truck (it was now 1983) out of the city on our way to our bush mission station of Nkara-Ewa. At the time there was a roadblock at the end of the city, where "soldiers" hasseled people for money, somewhat similar to the troll in a nursery rhyme I heard as a kid. As we pulled up to the well-known barrier, the "security" person walked up to the passenger side of the truck, and to his amazement Chico jumped up to the front seat from the back to greet him. Chico put his leg on Jim's leg, made his way closer to the "guard", and became chief of the day. The man backed up very quickly and motioned us to go on. That was one time we didn't have to pay anything.

Chico grew very close to Jim. He went on road trips with him, sitting in his lap with his hands on the steering wheel as if he knew what he was doing. He had a take charge kind of personality. These memories are playing in my mind tonight:

Chico charging after Todd at the age of about 11 as he was riding his little Honda 50in the yard, jumping on the back of it, and pulling Todd's hair. Todd won, but it was a struggle.

Me chasing Chico in the house with a broom after he dipped his fingers in the jelly jar.

Chico coming after me with a big limb when he saw Jim and I holding hands. I escaped.

Chico grabbing a baby out of his mother's arms and running to climb a tree holding a real live baby in his arms, not realizing that human babies do not hold on to the hair of a chimp's chest as do baby chimps. The baby was quickly rescued and returned to his mother.

Chico running up to Shawn's bedroom and sprawling out on her bed with his hands clasped under his head and one leg crossed over the other until Shawn found him and evacuated him from her room.

Chico climbing the clothes line, grabbing our clothes, and scurrying up the big mango tree, semidressing himself, peering down at us as if to say, "Catch me if you can."

Chico sitting in the back seat of our Blazer, swigging Coke from the bottle with his knees crossed and one hand behind his head.

He truly brought us a lot of laughter and good times. There never was a dull moment when he was around. Remembering Chico reminds me that God has an amazing sense of humor!