Lion Called Christian (4 page)

Late in the afternoons, Christian would sit regally on the furniture in the shop window, in the spotlight and watch the activities of the World's End. He was the star attraction, and the people, particularly the children, loved him and were very proud of him. He seemed to belong to all of them. In the window he drew appreciative crowds of regular admirers or astonished newcomers. These were happy hours. If there were too many people and his view was obscured, he simply changed windows. Several motorists, seeing Christian unselfconsciously displaying himself, bumped into the cars in front. And a conversation was overheard between a child and his mother on a passing bus: "Mummy, there was a lion in that shop window!" "Don't be ridiculous. If you don't stop this lying, I'll get your father to thrash you."

W
e had not told Christian that he was a lion. We thought this knowledge would only lead to regrettable lionlike behavior. We avoided using the word
lion
in front of him, but occasionally had to spell out L-I-O-N to ignorant people, who thought Christian was a leopard because of his spots. He enjoyed looking at himself in the large mirrors at Sophistocat, so while he must have been confused as to what sort of animal he was, he knew exactly what he looked like. He often accompanied us in the car, and as there are possibly more sculptured lions in London than there are live ones in Africa, we decided to tell him the truth, before he discovered it himself and asked awkward questions. We drove him to Trafalgar Square to see the lions at the base of Nelson's Column. He was delighted to be such an obvious symbol of nobility. Fortunately, this information did not alter his behavior, for he had, like all cats, assumed superiority over us from the beginning. But too much knowledge could be dangerous or confusing, so we asked the Moravian minister not to tell Christian that the early Christians had been fed to the lions.

Consistent with their standards, Harrods had sold us a lion of quality. He was very healthy and had a beautiful nature. He was even-tempered, and not easily alarmed or frightened. These qualities were reinforced by his trust in us and his strong feeling of security. The fact that his behavior was, in general, quite predictable and consistent made living with him much easier than it could have been. We navigated our way very carefully with him, and learned about him quickly. We rarely misjudged his intentions, and we learned to anticipate any situations that could have unpredictable outcomes.

The King's Road, Chelsea. Ace left, John right.

Above:
Easter 1970. "And there were no casualties ..."

Right:
In the flat above Sophisticat.

Lift:
Surveying his kingdom in Sophisticat.

Center:
His favorite position--on the stairs at Sophisticat.

Bottom:
Football in the Moravian Close.

Right:
Christian was always curious and could never resist an open drawer.

Bottom left:
Christian, like all lions, was fascinated by children.

Bottom right:
John (left) and Ace (right) with Christian on the stairs to the flat.

John (left) and Ace (right) in the showroom at Sophisticat.