Zoo Moments
George leaned up to the railing as his father rested his hand on his back. They were peering into a tiger exhibit where three wild cats were playing with each other. Despite their large size, the tigers reminded George of Nemo and the other cats in the neighborhood. He looked up to his father, but his father didn't seem to have the same level of enthusiasm about their trip.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Lundgren?" Wally asked. He smiled, rubbing George's head, "Not today, son. There's just a lot on my mind. Do you want to check out the panda exhibit?"
The Metropolis Zoo had just added pandas a year before in a deal with China, so George hadn't seen the black and white fluffballs yet. He was excited as they walked towards the exhibit, but as they got closer, he realized they would never get close because of the crowd. They diverted to the African exhibit instead, where a zebra and antellope were chasing each other around the sarangeti-like vegetation.
"You're not disappointed about the pandas are you?" Mr. Lundgren asked. George shook his head but Wally answered for him, "They have their own webcam, Mr. Lundgren. If my fingers weren't so woody, I'd show you on my smartphone right now!" Wally exclaimed. Mr. Lundgren laughed, "We'll look it up when we get home later. Anywhere you want to go in particular, son?"
"I want to go somewhere that'll make you happy, Dad," George replied. Mr. Lundgren nodded and sighed, "It's not that easy, son. Today is a pretty hard day for me. That's why your mom suggested this trip, so I wouldn't lock myself in the garage all day."
"But you do important work in the garage. Don't you have that wardrobe to work on for Mr. Ratburn? And that butcher block for Mr. Read?" George asked. His father nodded, "Yes, and your mother understands that. Sometimes though...well today is pretty hard for me."
"You already said that, Dad, but we don't know what it means," George whispered, following his dad to a nearby seating area. George sat Wally next to him with his head turned up towards his father. "Tell us what happened. I'm eight years old. I'm old enough to understand."
"I'm not sure you are, son. Listen, when you're old enough, I'll tell you everything about me. For now, just know I lost an important person to me on this day when I was young. It stuck with me all this time, and well, this zoo is helping me out. I want you to see what makes you happy though, maybe the arctic exhibit?" Mr. Lundgren suggested. George shrugged, standing up. He led them to an indoor aquarium instead. They were soon in a small theatre alone watching a movie about hammerhead sharks.
George took his father's hand, "Mom told me last year," George whispered. His father looked down to him with a perplexed look. "You disappeared into the garage when you were supposed to take me somewhere. She told me everything so I wouldn't feel sad anymore. She told me who it was and what happened. I don't understand the words, but she told me I shouldn't be sorry. You're older now and understand the world. It doesn't make it any easier, but life does that to you."
"Well, in the case, there is something I'd like to show you," Mr. Lundgren sighed, "but only if you're up for it."
George nodded, and a few minutes later, they were in the zoo's parking lot. They got into the family car and Mr. Lundgren started to drive. They got onto the highway, where they drove so long that George fell asleep.
When he woke up, they were deep inside a cemetery. George's father took his hand and led him through the rows of tombstones. They stopped at a grave with a commemorative bench beside it.
"This is my mother, Patricia. She passed away when someone killed her...when I was twelve," Mr. Lundgren stammered, choking back tears. "She...She always told me this would happen. Her grandmother was killed two hundred years before, and...she expected the same for her. I never believed her until it happened. I thought she was just a little strange."
"Like me?" Wally asked cheerfully. Mr. Lundgren started to laugh despite a few tears dripping down his face.
"Will you tell me more about her?" George asked. Mr. Lundgren nodded, moving with him to the bench. He told George about his mother's life, her favorite hobbies, and some of her favorite sayings. He told George about the good times they'd had before the event that changed everything. Most of all, the men developed an understanding of each other that would last a lifetime.
Theme 50: Zoo Trip
This theme is from my Infinite Arthur Theme List. PM me if you're interested and I'll Doc-X the list to you.
Also, this is my 200th story here. Not all of them are that great, but I had fun writing and posting each one, and I don't see myself stopping any time soon:) In fact, I may go over 200 today...