As they made their way through on into Iowa they passed this huge sign that read. "Iowa State Fair." Erin turned just in time to see the pictures of the animals on the billboard. "DAD! Can we go see those animals too?" Erin screamed.
"We will have to see if we have time after we go the zoo, trust me Erin you will love this zoo it is one of the best ones in the country and it has only been around for a couple of years."
"Well I guess." She approved. Erin's eyes seemed to be getting heavier as she soon was fast asleep in the back seat.
"That will be twenty-five dollars." Erin heard a voice say as she was starting to wake, though she had no opened her eyes yet. She started to crack her eyes open little by little and all she could see what was a blurry man standing outside the car window and her dad was handing him something. Just then see realized that they were finally at the zoo, the thought of this made her so exited that she jumped up form where she was laying as if she had a nightmare. The first thing she saw was a mammoth board that said, "Iowa Zoo" in big red bold letters. Before she could even take it all in they were standing at the entrance, "Where first, Erin?" Asked BJ.
"Ummmm..."
"They have Bears, Dolphins, Tigers..."
" Monkeys." She answered quickly.
"Good choice." Commented BJ. They proceeded on to the Monkeys and on the way Erin saw the Bears. "I wanna go there next." She insisted.
" OK, we can do that." They finished looking at the monkeys and started towards the Bears. When they had at last reached them, they noticed that there was a gigantic crowd gathered around the viewing area.
"I wonder what is going on here?" BJ whispered to Peg and Erin.
"I don't know, lets go find out." Peg answered. The three pushed their way through the crowd. They had seen that there had been an accident, one of the Bears had gone wild and attacked the trainer, as they were watching Peg looked up and saw a man leaning over the railing watching the Bear be put down. She noticed that he was wearing sunglasses, and he was a short guy that all most reminded her of a kid. Just then a helicopter flew overhead, the guy turned and looked up at the sky prematurely as if he knew that it was coming before it even got there.
"BJ that guy looks just like they guy that you would describe to me in you letters from when you were in Korea. I think you called him Radar." She said as she pulled him aside and pointed to the guy wearing sunglasses.
"You know Peg, it kinda does look like him." BJ did not think any more about it, he was trying to console Erin who was crying because of the site she had just witnessed. The trainer getting attacked and the Bear getting killed. While BJ was bent down to Erin, another trainer came out from within the cage and said, "Mr. O'Riley, I am sorry but we just had to kill your Bear if he would have continued it would have been a disaster." The guy with the sunglasses acknowledged the message with a nod and turned leaving the scene.
"What is wrong?" BJ asked Erin.
"I feel sorry for the Bear." She answered with a sniffle.
"Sometimes we have to kill animals in order to protect the people around them." Her dad explained carefully. "Would you like to go see another animal?" He asked.
"Like what?"
"What about the Tigers?"
"No."
"Fish?"
"No."
"Lets go see the Dolphin show." He said with a little fewer patients.
"Fine." She answered. So they started to walk towards the Dolphin tanks, as they were walking Erin proceeded with every step by dragging her feet across the gravel walkway. She had the look of someone who had just lost his or her best friend. They eventually reached the bleachers of the show a few minuets before the scheduled time. They all three sat down and began looking down at the main tank. BJ was pointing out to Erin the Dolphin that was supposed to do the tricks. It was not but moments later when the guy with sunglasses came and sat only a few feet away from the three of them. Peg noticed him right away, he was the same man who had been at the Bear cage earlier that day. "Excuse me sir." The man said to BJ "But would you mind if I ask you a few questions?" BJ was not looking at the man but felt as if he had known him for more than just moment. Then BJ slowly cranked his neck around towards the familiar man. Then man still continued, "I am sorry to bother you but you see I own this zoo and I was just wondering if I could get your opinion on the quality of everything?"
"So far I would say it has been pretty good." BJ answered in the most perplexed voice. Just then the owner looked up at the sky and his eyes closed as if someone had put a terrible thought in his head. It was only a moment later and BJ heard a helicopter fly above them. The man continued his questions and then took off his sunglasses. " How far did you come to..."
"Radar?" BJ said, interrupting the owner. Then man stopped speaking for a moment, speechless as to what was going on. "Did you just call me Radar?"
"I sure did."
"Is that really you BJ?"
"Come here little guy." BJ said as he hugged the stuffings out of Radar.
"I can't believe it is really you I thought about you many times over the years Captain, I...I.. mean BJ." They both had tears running down their faces.
"Everyone this is Radar, Radar this is Erin and Peg."
"Nice to meet you Radar." Erin said looking up to him.
"Radar, don't run off yet maybe we can talk some more while we look around, then we could get together sometime before we leave." Suggested BJ.
"Geeeez, that would be swell here is my phone number. Call me tonight so we can work something out." Radar answered as he handed BJ a business card. They finished walking around the zoo together and as it got dark decided to head back to the hotel room.
The Zoo
"We will have to see if we have time after we go the zoo, trust me Erin you will love this zoo it is one of the best ones in the country and it has only been around for a couple of years."
"Well I guess." She approved. Erin's eyes seemed to be getting heavier as she soon was fast asleep in the back seat.
"That will be twenty-five dollars." Erin heard a voice say as she was starting to wake, though she had no opened her eyes yet. She started to crack her eyes open little by little and all she could see what was a blurry man standing outside the car window and her dad was handing him something. Just then see realized that they were finally at the zoo, the thought of this made her so exited that she jumped up form where she was laying as if she had a nightmare. The first thing she saw was a mammoth board that said, "Iowa Zoo" in big red bold letters. Before she could even take it all in they were standing at the entrance, "Where first, Erin?" Asked BJ.
"Ummmm..."
"They have Bears, Dolphins, Tigers..."
" Monkeys." She answered quickly.
"Good choice." Commented BJ. They proceeded on to the Monkeys and on the way Erin saw the Bears. "I wanna go there next." She insisted.
" OK, we can do that." They finished looking at the monkeys and started towards the Bears. When they had at last reached them, they noticed that there was a gigantic crowd gathered around the viewing area.
"I wonder what is going on here?" BJ whispered to Peg and Erin.
"I don't know, lets go find out." Peg answered. The three pushed their way through the crowd. They had seen that there had been an accident, one of the Bears had gone wild and attacked the trainer, as they were watching Peg looked up and saw a man leaning over the railing watching the Bear be put down. She noticed that he was wearing sunglasses, and he was a short guy that all most reminded her of a kid. Just then a helicopter flew overhead, the guy turned and looked up at the sky prematurely as if he knew that it was coming before it even got there.
"BJ that guy looks just like they guy that you would describe to me in you letters from when you were in Korea. I think you called him Radar." She said as she pulled him aside and pointed to the guy wearing sunglasses.
"You know Peg, it kinda does look like him." BJ did not think any more about it, he was trying to console Erin who was crying because of the site she had just witnessed. The trainer getting attacked and the Bear getting killed. While BJ was bent down to Erin, another trainer came out from within the cage and said, "Mr. O'Riley, I am sorry but we just had to kill your Bear if he would have continued it would have been a disaster." The guy with the sunglasses acknowledged the message with a nod and turned leaving the scene.
"What is wrong?" BJ asked Erin.
"I feel sorry for the Bear." She answered with a sniffle.
"Sometimes we have to kill animals in order to protect the people around them." Her dad explained carefully. "Would you like to go see another animal?" He asked.
"Like what?"
"What about the Tigers?"
"No."
"Fish?"
"No."
"Lets go see the Dolphin show." He said with a little fewer patients.
"Fine." She answered. So they started to walk towards the Dolphin tanks, as they were walking Erin proceeded with every step by dragging her feet across the gravel walkway. She had the look of someone who had just lost his or her best friend. They eventually reached the bleachers of the show a few minuets before the scheduled time. They all three sat down and began looking down at the main tank. BJ was pointing out to Erin the Dolphin that was supposed to do the tricks. It was not but moments later when the guy with sunglasses came and sat only a few feet away from the three of them. Peg noticed him right away, he was the same man who had been at the Bear cage earlier that day. "Excuse me sir." The man said to BJ "But would you mind if I ask you a few questions?" BJ was not looking at the man but felt as if he had known him for more than just moment. Then BJ slowly cranked his neck around towards the familiar man. Then man still continued, "I am sorry to bother you but you see I own this zoo and I was just wondering if I could get your opinion on the quality of everything?"
"So far I would say it has been pretty good." BJ answered in the most perplexed voice. Just then the owner looked up at the sky and his eyes closed as if someone had put a terrible thought in his head. It was only a moment later and BJ heard a helicopter fly above them. The man continued his questions and then took off his sunglasses. " How far did you come to..."
"Radar?" BJ said, interrupting the owner. Then man stopped speaking for a moment, speechless as to what was going on. "Did you just call me Radar?"
"I sure did."
"Is that really you BJ?"
"Come here little guy." BJ said as he hugged the stuffings out of Radar.
"I can't believe it is really you I thought about you many times over the years Captain, I...I.. mean BJ." They both had tears running down their faces.
"Everyone this is Radar, Radar this is Erin and Peg."
"Nice to meet you Radar." Erin said looking up to him.
"Radar, don't run off yet maybe we can talk some more while we look around, then we could get together sometime before we leave." Suggested BJ.
"Geeeez, that would be swell here is my phone number. Call me tonight so we can work something out." Radar answered as he handed BJ a business card. They finished walking around the zoo together and as it got dark decided to head back to the hotel room.
The Zoo