Page 81 of Blindly Yours

“It was good. I’m really excited. I haven’t been to the zoo in years.”

“We go about once a month,” I chuckle.

“So, then you’ll be able to show me around, Kara?” Rose says over her shoulder.

“Yep!” Kara exclaims. “I want to see the alligators first!”

“What is your favorite animal, Kara?” she asks.

I already know Kara doesn’t have just one favorite, so I’m fully prepared when she begins listing them off and explaining her reasoning behind liking each one. The drive passes easily with her entertainment, and soon we’re in the zoo grounds and on our way to the reptile house. I link my fingers with Rose’s as Kara skips ahead of us, eager to find out if crocodiles are bigger than alligators.

On the way through the Africa zone, we pass a towering metal structure that’s under construction. There’s a large sign posted in front of the temporary fence around it that says, “COMING SOON. THE BOTSWANA BUNGEE EXPERIENCE.”

Rose shields her eyes from the sun and peers up at it. “I bet that’s going to be fun. I’ve never been bungee jumping.”

I look away and shudder. Even half-built, it’s intimidating. “I’ll be keeping my feet flat on the ground, thank you.”

She laughs. “You won’t even give it a try?”

“Not a chance. But you have your fun.”

She nudges me playfully. “Surely you can’t bethatscared of heights?”

“So much so that my friends made fun of me when I was a kid.” I grimace. “There was this old railroad bridge we’d cross to take a shortcut to the park. They’d try to push me off the edge.”

“Well, that’s just evil,” Rose says from beside me. “Did you have any siblings to stick up for you?”

“Nope,” I shake my head. “I wish I did. My parents are great, but my childhood was a little lonely.”

“I spent my childhood wrestling my brothers off me.” She chuckles.

“But I bet you could hold your own,” I smirk.

“Do you know why your parents didn’t have more children?” She peers up at me when we arrive at the glass enclosure that holds a large alligator.

Kara leans closer with wide eyes and says something to the animal while I shrug. “Truthfully, I never asked them. On the off-chance that they tried and couldn’t, I didn’t want to stir that up.”

Rose watches Kara wave at the alligator and then move on to the next enclosure. “You don’t want her to feel alone like you did.”

I lean against a column and cross my arms. “Yeah, but there’ll be a big age gap if she ever does get a sibling.”

“But with how much she likes to be a little teacher, I’m sure she’ll love being the wiser, older sister,” Rose suggests.

She’s right. Kara is constantly imparting new knowledge to me, even.

There’s a sign above the alligator enclosure, so I scan it quickly. “Hey, Kara, it says alligators can grow up to fifteen feet long. What does it say about the crocodiles?”

She turns around and sprints across the viewing room to the crocodile exhibit, then she points at the sign above it. “Umm, it says…” She furrows her brow and slowly sounds out the words. “The male…Am—Ameri—can croc—o—crocodile can mee—ah—sure…measure… as much as…twenty feet.” She whips around and grins at me. “Twenty feet, Dad! Mrs. Jones was right!”

“I guess she was!” I rest my hands on my hips. “Pretty cool.”

She turns to the glass again and waves at the beast at the edge of the water. “Hi, Mister Crocodile.”

Rose sidles up next to her and leans against the railing. “Do you think he has a name?”

“I think his name is Stanley,” Kara says with a nod.

Rose chuckles. “I like it.” She waves too. “Hi, Stanley.”

---