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She reached up to remove her glasses and wiped her eyes nodding softly with a sniffle, then turned to Elsa. “What coluh was he?”
“Mostly brown but his chest was white.”
Elsa went on all bright eyed telling them more about the owl and the other animals at the assembly, but Byron was already all over it. It was too late to do it today, but the shop was fully staffed Friday and while Beast might protest at first, Byron was certain his brother would give in to letting these two play hooky from connecting the dot lessons and coloring in the lines for a day at the zoo with Uncle B that Friday. Since spoiling these two little princesses was the only thing that kept a smile on his broody ass these days this was as much for them as it was for him.
By the time Elsa was done bringing them up to speed about her school’s assembly, Lucy was past her minor meltdown and instead seemed completely captivated by all big sis had to share. Byron hadn’t wasted any time. He’d already purchased tickets to the zoo on his phone as Elsa had spoken. The bigger Elsa smiled as she spoke and wider Lucy’s eyes got, the more upgraded their trip to the zoo had gotten. He’d booked the giraffe feedings, something called Flamingo Mingle and a behind the scenes tour. He still hadn’t gotten their parents’ permission to keep them from school Friday, but Byron would play dirty if he had to. Fridays were short days for them anyway. His plan was to show up early at their place and surprise the girls before they were chauffeured off to school.
Ali had a stronger backbone than his big pushover brother when it came to the girls. But even she didn’t stand a chance against baby girl’s big emotional eyes. Beast would be toast the moment he’d look into those trembling lips Friday morning, so it was a done deal.
The movie they watched turned out to be metaphorical and a bit over Lucy’s head. Two stray dogs and a cat went on a journey to each find their way home. It wasn’t until the end when they finally arrived at their destination that the viewer and the animals realize each needed to resolve some personal struggle, they didn’t even know they were fraught with before they could arrive. The home each one was searching for turned out to be their own personal pet heaven.
On their drive home, Byron attempted to explain to Lucy about the animals being stuck between life and death because they each had something to overcome before they could get to heaven. Something they needed to learn or finish before they could cross to the other side and be truly happy.
“Do people have to do that too?” Lucy asked from her booster seat in the back.
Glancing in the rear-view mirror, Byron’s grip of the steering wheel got a little tighter. “No one really knows what happens when you die. But I suppose itcouldbe true.”
“But heavenisa real, right?” Elsa who sat next to Lucy was quick to ask. “Daddy says thatabuelitais in heaven but is always looking down and watching over all of us.”
Closing his eyes as they came to a stop, Byron nodded but didn’t comment.
“Do you think gwahma had something she needed to finish befoh she could cwos to duh udda side, Uncle B?”
Curse the twist ending to that stupid movie. If Byron had any idea he’d be taking the girls to see a movie that might have them asking these kinds of questions he would’ve never taken them to that one. But he refused to go there and let this line of questioning pull him back into that dark place again. He’d managed to stay out of it for too long now. So, the moment he saw it he switched lanes.
“I don’t know, baby girl.” He turned into the shopping center. “Who’s up for frozen yogurt?”
“I am!”
“I am!”
He switched the subject easy enough to talk about their favorite flavor yogurts instead. By the time they were in the yogurt shop, Lucy was far more interested in all the different toppings she’d be choosing from and Byron managed to snap out of the mood he’d begun to get sucked into.
Note to self: Next time he’d take them anywhere, he’d research and read reviews before going into it blindly.Idiot.
