Picture-Perfect Primates

A family portrait featuring Doris and her family, set about ten years before present day Fuzzbutts~

While Doris is a mandrill, her beloved wife Irene and son Rafael are both spindly spider monkeys. Irene is a playful but gentle primate, a sharp mind plagued by worrywort tendencies. Hired as an accountant at Doris' bookstore, Irene easily fell for the thoughtful and soft-spoken mandrill, a refreshing break from the typical loud, domineering primate males she had known all her life. Doris, although initially quite intimated by confident and pretty Irene (it was quite a sight to see a giant mandrill stammering and fumbling books over a politely smiling monkey a fraction of her size), the two nonetheless begin a quiet, cozy romance, eventually marrying.

Doris and Irene originally planned to have a large family, but their first (and only) child put Irene through a difficult pregnancy, a traumatic premature birth, and many, many months of postpartum depression. She thus makes the choice to get sterilized,  and returns to work as soon as possible to get away from the wailing bundle hellbent on denying her any hope of sleep or peace. Doris meanwhile works to pick up the slack, dutifully caring for their infant so Irene can rest both her exhausted body and mind. Doris even temporarily steps down as bookstore manager to be a stay-at-home parent, and it is during this phase of her life that Doris begins to feel true passion and purpose. She loves her son, even the parts of caring for him that are relentless and draining. She loves taking him to Irene's "Mommy & Me" parenting classes, she loves bottle-feeding and storytime, she loves filling scrapbooks with his every mundane milestone. Finally, Doris is free to be tender and nurturing in a way she has been denied all her life- and thus her son's early life is the happiest Doris has ever been. The love she feels for her family is so infectious it helps Irene's recovery, and Doris proudly (begrudgingly....) moves aside to let Irene step back into the "doting mommy" role. 

Doris returns to work, and little Rafa grows into a bright and boisterous little boy that loves dinosaurs and inventing battle cries and most of all his dad. Doris is a proud father, a cherished husband. She should be happy. Is happy. Isn't she?

Why can't she shake the feeling that something isn't quite right....?