" I cook better than you," Nick corrected absently. " I think monkeys can probably be taught to cook better than you." " I'd like to have a monkey that cooked for me," said Jamie. " I would pay him in bananas. His name would be Alphonse." " I agree, that would be awesome." Mae said. " People would come for dinner just to see the monkey chef." " You're raving," Nick said, defrosting chicken in the microwave. Mae was a bit impressed with how he seemed to look at the appliance and instantly comprehend its mysteries, when she'd been heating up ready-made meals for years by a method of pressing random buttons and hoping. " I know that's the only way Jamie communicates with people, but I expected better of you, Mavis." " We're cutting out the whole Mavis thing right now, Nick," Mae said warningly." How many bananas would be good payment for a monkey?" Jamie wanted to know. " I would want to pay Alphonse a fair wage. "