“Really?” he says, narrowing his eyes to get a better look. “Hey, I think you're right. That's a pretty lucky find.”
“Yes, they’re extremely rare. I was seated next to a primatologist at a fundraiser once. She did her dissertation on bonobos.”
“Tell you what,” Will says. “You film them and do some narrating while I put the kettle on.”
He sets to work while I swell a little with pride at this small, but meaningful, gesture. It's as though he’s actually accepting me as a co-host. Yay, me!
Hmm, but now that I’m in charge of narrating, I don’t know what to say. Will must know I’m flustered, because after a minute of me filming without speaking, he says, “Just pretend you’re on a call with your Gran and you’re describing what you see.”
Oh, well, that sounds much easier. “Okay, here we go. We’ve been camped along the river in a rainstorm that moved in yesterday afternoon. It’s afforded us an extremely rare opportunity to observe a small family of what we believe to be bonobos. Bonobos are a very close relative of the chimpanzee and, in fact, for many years, scientists didn't distinguish between them and chimps. But this amazing group of primates has some important differences. First, they only exist in this one small area of the world. They’re slightly smaller, for the most part, than chimps. And you can't tell at the moment because they're not walking, but when they do, they tend to use a more upright posture than most other primates.”
“Is that so?” Will asks, from the ‘kitchen’ area of our little home.
“Yes. In fact, they favor walking only with their back legs and swing their arms the way humans do, rather than using them to help propel their bodies forward. They’re also known as a peaceful, relaxed animal, which is probably because the females of the species are in charge.”
“Really?” Will asks. “I didnotknow that.”
“It's true,” I say, turning to look back at him for a second. “Primatologists have a motto for the bonobos—make love not war.” My cheeks turn red, but I force myself to continue, on the basis of educating people. “They actually use sex to resolve tension within and between groupings.”
“You're making that up.”
“I swear it. When they meet up with another group, the alpha females will approach each other and then … well…” Oh, God. Why did I bring this up? This is awful. Just stop talking.
“They what?” he asks, looking very serious even though I can tell he’s enjoying making me squirm like this.
Fine, two can play that game. “Touch each other in the… you-know-where and…” Nope. I cannot talk about this. And yet, something about the amused expression in his eyes brings out my defiant side.It’s just science, Arabella. Don’t be a prude.“They pleasure each other to reduce tension and show acceptance.”
“I really can't help but feel like you're making this all up,” Will says.
“No, it's true. They're very sexual. It's why you don't see them in zoos. Because it’s far too uncomfortable for people, especially if they’re on an outing with their children.”
Will busts out laughing, and I see one of the bonobos up in the tree turn her head to look. She stops grooming the other one and stares back at us.
I zoom in on her with the camera, and gasp a little, whispering, “I can't believe this. We’re actuallylooking at each other. How amazing is that?”
Will comes to sit next to me and the two of us watch her together.
“This is incredible,” I say. “She is staring right at me. It’s like she’s trying to communicate with me somehow.”
The bonobo tilts her head, then starts to… Oh, dear! I quickly put the camera down and turn to face the other direction.
“Is she…?”
“Yep. Let's give her some privacy, shall we?” My entire body feels hot with embarrassment, but Will seems to find the entire thing hilarious.
He’s laughing so hard his shoulders are shaking, and silent tears pour down his face. “I think she likes you, Arabella.”
“Shut up.”
“Maybe she has a thing for royalty,” he says, laughing some more.
I fold my arms and glare at him. “It's really not that funny. It's just … nature.”
“And that particular bit of nature was absolutely turned on by you. In fact, she’s still going for it.”
I slap him on the arm. “Stop that. Don't stare at her while she's … you know …”
“What? Take it as a compliment. You’re empirically attractive to all species. You should be thrilled.”
