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“Life has been crazy, Zach.” Isaac shakes his head. “You just wouldn’t believe it all.” He turns to me. “Zach was in my fraternity.”
“Oh, very cool.” I step closer so I can see into the window better. “Hey, I’m Phoebe.”
“Well, you keep this one in line, Phoebe. He’ll be climbing the fences if we’re not careful.”
“That was just once, and he’ll never let me live it down.” Isaac slides cash under the glass and then takes our tickets.
“And who’s this little one?” Zach smiles at Quinn.
“This is my daughter, Quinn.” Isaac turns to the side so Zach can get a good look at her. “And this is my buddy Chance. His mom is nice enough to let him hang out with me sometimes.”
“Awesome. Well, you guys have a blast. Here, have some food for the animals.” Zach hands me two cups of fresh fruit. “The monkeys can catch it.”
“I’ll catch up with you soon. We’ll have to grab lunch or something.”
“Sure thing. Hey, stay as long as you want. We’ll be here all night,” Zach jokes. “Nice to meet you, Phoebe. Chance.”
“Nice to meet you too, sir.” Chance smiles.
As we go through the wooden gate and head down the dirt trail, I recall wearing my heels on our first date. “Thankfully I’m wearing the right shoes this time,” I comment.
Isaac turns to the side to look at me, a small chuckle falling from his lips. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to carry both you and Quinn, so definitely a good thing.”
“What are you talking about?” Chance asks, skipping ahead to walk beside Isaac. We make our way through the plants and vegetation leading to the first exhibit.
“When we went on our first date, your mom had heels on. And we went to the butterfly festival, so heels weren’t the best choice, really.”
“In my defense,” I start, “I didn’t know where we were going.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Isaac turns to Chance. “So she steps down onto a crack or a tree root, I can’t remember what, and the heel was a goner. I had to give her a piggyback ride back to the Uber!”
“Oh my gosh, Mom.” Chance laughs. “I bet you looked so silly.”
“I probably did, but I wasn’t too worried about it.” I ruffle his hair.
“So, where should we go first?” Isaac stops to observe the map, which is probably for my benefit since he’s been here before. I join in, though, taking in everything on paper.
Isaac maneuvers until his arm is around me, his hand resting lightly on my waist, and I breathe in his scent, closing my eyes. I love this—being here with him and our kids. It’s so normal. In the midst of the chaos of the real world, we’re hidden away here in this magical place, and it’s a relief.
“Oh, I’ve never seen a sloth bear.” I point to the closest enclosure on the map, hoping the distance isn’t much further in real life. “Are they cute?”
“Oh, they’re the cutest. And they love music.” Isaac moves away, meaning I lose my leaning post, but he takes my hand and we fall into step.
I let him lead while I take in the sights and sounds around me and watch Chance run around in excitement. There aren’t any cages for the animals—just wooden fences—and monkeys are roaming around the place. Birds are flying about freely, squawking and landing on random signs and posts to fluff their feathers. The whole atmosphere is very serene.
As we reach the sloth bears, the low notes of “The Bear Necessities” fromThe Jungle Bookseep through the air.
“Seems like a fitting song,” I joke, leaning onto the fence to peer around their home. “I could sing that song in my sleep, probably.”
“You a big Baloo fan?” Isaac stops next to me, looking down at the sleeping Quinn and adjusting her hat.
“He’s okay, but Chance adored the movie when he was younger.” I wrap my arm around Chance’s shoulders, squeezing him into me. “He had to watch it every day until he started school, I think. He was so cute when he imitated the elephants walking.” I nudge my son with my hip, and he grins sheepishly.
“Mom, it is the best kids’ movie. You have to admit it.”
“It’s a top one. I don’t know about the best,” I concede. “Oh look, there’s one of them.”
A large furry bear emerges from the shade, padding along its home to the water.
