AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There's no way Ben would agree to that.
"You there," Ben pointed at one of the staff. "Do you sell the swans?"
"Uh.. no… sorry, sir," the staff apologized.
"There you have it sweetie," he sighed.
"Oh that's okay," Chloe said.
Chloe wasn't so bothered about the rejection, but her voice seemed to get to the staff.
"If it helps, there's a pop up petting zoo that will be opening around here today," he said as he pointed to a tent we had noticed them setting up earlier. "There are no swans, but there are baby ducks. If that would be okay?"
"Yes!" Chloe agreed, "Daddy, can we check it out?"
"Sure thing. Once they open," he replied.
I may have imagined it, but Ben seemed excited about the pop up petting zoo. We came across a playground, and Chloe's eyes widened with excitement. She darted toward the swings. Ben and I followed, pushing her as high as we could. Her laughter echoed through the park; and for a moment, we forgot all our worries and responsibilities.
Next, we headed to the Japanese Garden, where colorful koi swam gracefully in the pond. Chloe was mesmerized by the vibrant fish. Ben and I sat by her side, admiring the tranquil beauty of the place.
"Can we eat them?" Chloe asked the guide.
"No, but you can feed them," the lady replied.
I had planned for us to feed the fish and found out the time beforehand. The lady handed us the fish food and told us what to do. Chloe was nervous feeding them, Ben was too.
"Are you sure this is okay for them?" Ben asked.
"Am I feeding them wrong? They aren't coming this way." Chloe seemed bummed out as well.
"Patience you two," I assured them.
Not sooner than I was done talking, the fish swam up to us and started eating. The look of satisfaction on both father and daughter was a wholesome sight for tired eyes like mine.
Would Sophia also be nervous? Would she want to tell me stories about an ugly duckling? Would she be okay that I was moving on like this? Replacing her with someone else, that is.
Am… I forgetting about my daughter?
No negative thoughts.
As the afternoon sun began to dip lower in the sky, we decided to indulge in one of Byrd Park's most famous activities: paddle boating on Fountain Lake. Chloe insisted on sitting in the middle, sandwiched between Ben and me, as we paddled along the calm waters. We made up silly stories about the ducks swimming nearby, and Chloe's infectious laughter filled the air once more.
Ben had laughed a lot as well, and even rocked the boat a little to scare us. Chloe just squealed in delight while I screamed with fright. The two of them found my fear to be hilarious, and they wasted no time in bursting into laughter at me while my cheeks went red as tomatoes due to the embarrassment.
"Let's go check if the petting zoo is open," Ben said as he walked ahead of us.
I knew it. He was more excited about this than Chloe.
"Does your dad like animals?" I asked.
"He loves them," she replied. "Are you having fun Miss Olivia?"
"I am," I replied.
"Are you sure? Because you've been happy-sad all this time," she explained.
Did she mean the mood switching? To think I made a little girl worry about me on her special day. I was the worst.
