Page 81 of The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos

At the koala exhibit, Evan’s stomach starts to hurt. A quick, sharp churn that sends a shudder through him. But it passes quickly enough, just in time to see Little Luis trip and fall, letting his balloon go.

He cries out, on the verge of a meltdown, but Evan checks him over. He’s not hurt.

“You’re okay, buddy,” Evan says, putting him back on his feet.

Little Luis’s eyes are rimmed with tears and his chin wobbles. But after he looks at Evan, finding reassurance in his face that he really is okay, his eyes go skyward.

“Balloon,” he whimpers, pointing.

It’s stuck on a branch overhead.

The ramification of what just happened sinks in. Like Willem Dafoe inPlatoon, Little Luis falls to his knees, his arms stretched overhead, as if pleading for the balloon to come back to him.

“We’ll get you another one,” Evan says.

Little Luis’s face screws up, and more tears fill his eyes.

“Uh-oh” is all Evan gets to say before Little Luis has a full-on tantrum in the middle of the sidewalk. Passersby stare, giving them a wide berth, as they watch the toddler scream his head off.

Evan tries to shush him, but he knows people are watching and judging him.

“I’ll get you a new one, I promise!” Evan assures over the noise. He winces as his stomach cramps again.

“No!” Little Luis screams, pounding his fists into the pavement. “NO!NO!Balloon! Mine!”

Evan looks around for help, but most people give him sympathetic smiles or avoid eye contact. They must think he’s an awful parent. His stomach churns once more. Something is definitely happening in there. He might be getting sick. He’s not in the mood to deal with this right now. There is only one way to get Little Luis to stop screaming.

Evan looks around, checks for anyone in a khaki vest or wearing a walkie-talkie, then he gets up and starts climbing the fence to the koala enclosure. The balloon is snagged on a branch just close enough where, if Evan can get up there, he can grab it.

While Evan climbs, Little Luis screams and carries on, his voice echoing through the zoo no doubt, and Evan’s heart pounds as he climbs even higher on the fence. He knows he’ll get in big trouble if he’s caught, but he’ll get in big trouble if the Ramoses find out he let Little Luis cause mayhem over a stupid balloon.

He gets halfway up the fence when he stretches out, his fingers just barely missing the string. Little Luis keeps screaming,“Balloon! Balloon!” and passersby watch as Evan tries and fails to grab it.

Sweat breaks out on his forehead as he stretches out farther than ever, his muscles straining, and finally he’s got it. He climbs back down from the fence and Little Luis’s face brightens. In an instant, he stops screaming, as if Evan flipped a switch, and he goes back to being the happy, carefree toddler skipping away toward the orangutan enclosure.

“Hey! You!” a voice barks, making Evan whip around. It’s a security guard, running right for him. Busted.

Evan’s moving before he realizes what he’s doing. He scoops up Little Luis, who giggles happily, and Evan runs with him, full tilt, as the security guard’s boots thunder behind in hot pursuit. Instinct kicks in and Evan feels like prey in the savanna as Little Luis bobs in his arms, laughing his head off. At least one of them is having a good time.

Evan dodges through the crowd, weaving through the masses, trying to get lost in the fray. His stomach churns again, adding more sweat to his forehead, but he can’t stop. He can’t get caught.

Eventually, he breaks through the crowd and looks behind him. There’s no sign of the security guard. He lets out a sigh of relief. He can’t believe he just did that. But a part of him is exhilarated by his evasion of zoo security.

He sets Little Luis down on the ground but Little Luis holds up his hands toward him. “Again! Again!”

Evan feels awful. His stomach twists and turns, and saliva gathers at the back of his throat, and not because he’s just escaped the long arm of the law. “Next time, buddy,” he says, patting Little Luis on the head. Sweat drips down his pits andmore settles in the small of his back. “You’re going to get me in so much trouble,” Evan says to him.

Little Luis grins at Evan and clutches his balloon like it’s his most sacred treasure.

Evan presses his fist into his stomach to ease the pain and catches his breath while Little Luis wanders toward the penguin island. Something is really going on in his gut, but he’s not sure if it’ll pass.

“Evan?” He knows that voice.

Evan turns around and his stomach drops. “Becca!”

His ex-girlfriend hasn’t changed a bit. Her blond hair is pulled up into a bun, secured with a headband, and her blue eyes are the same color as the sea just next door. Even in waders and carrying a bucket of dead fish, she looks fantastic.

“Hey!” He tries to sound enthusiastic and friendly, despite the roiling in his gut.

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