My Angel is the Centerfold
Chapter 13
From an outside perspective, going to the zoo seemed like a run of the mill childhood experience. Something all kids do at least a few times in their young lives. But Sophia had never been to the zoo before. She'd never been anywhere before. Getting money from her ex, or soon to be ex, husband for even just the bare necessities was an ordeal. Carol never would have been able to get money from Ed for zoo tickets. And even if she came up with the money somehow, if she took Sophia anywhere, there would be hell to pay later. Carol did what she had to do to survive and keep them both safe. But now, watching her daughter look around the Atlanta zoo in wide eyed wonder, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Sophia missed out on a lot. Until they were finally out from under Ed's thumb, Carol didn't even realize how much.
"Thank you," Carol said, taking the bottle of water Ezekiel handed her and offering him a slight smile in return.
The air around them was warm enough that condensation was already collecting on the outside of the cold plastic bottle. Carol twisted off the cap and took a sip, hoping that the temperature of the water might help to cool the rest of her down. On the drive over, Carol was so nervous that she almost pulled the car over to the side of the road so she could vomit. Her intense desire not to frighten or worry her daughter was the only thing that allowed her to maintain control over her bodily functions. Her nerves had calmed a little since then. Ezekiel had been a complete gentleman since he met them at the front gates of the zoo. He was polite, kind, and better with Sophia than she expected him to be. He looked handsome in his casual button down shirt with his wild DJ dreads tied back away from his face. But Carol's body was still tingling with nervous energy. She was watching him like a hawk every time he even moved in Sophia's direction.
When Carol left her husband, it was because she was afraid for her life and her daughter's safety. She had absolutely no intention of ever getting married again. Or even to start dating again. If River didn't talk her into it, she probably wouldn't even be at the zoo with Ezekiel. And she was still questioning her decision to bring Sophia with her.
When to introduce a new partner to her daughter wasn't something Carol had ever been in the position to have to consider before. And she had no idea what the right decision was. There seemed to be many schools of thought on the matter. Some women thought it was best to wait until the relationship got serious. But the advice Carol got from one of her bakery coworkers made sense to her. That girl said she let her boyfriend meet her daughter early on so that she could see how they interacted before she wasted time dating someone that wasn't good with her kid.
"Mom!," Sophia hollered. "Look at the turtles!"
When he came back with a bottle of cold water for her, Ezekiel brought Sophia a cone full of soft serve vanilla ice cream. She stood there licking at it like crazy. But now the frozen treat was forgotten in her hand as it began to soften and drip. Sophia was leaning up against the barrier between her and the large reptiles, staring with her lips slightly parted. Three of the tortoises seemed to be having some sort of disagreement. One looked like it was trying to escape while the other two fought each other nearby. They dashed at each other, moving faster than Carol would have thought a tortoise capable of moving. There was a loud echoing clunk as their shells collided. And then the larger of the two began to snap and claw at the other, keeping up the attack until it was clear that his opponent was ready to give up and retreat. Confident in his victory, the larger tortoise took off after the third. Once he caught up, Carol quickly realized what the fighting was about. The third tortoise was female. And the other two were fighting over the right to couple with her.
"What are those turtles doing?," Sophia asked, her eyes widening as she watched one large reptile mount the other. Carol racked her brain for an answer. But Sophia directed her question to Ezekiel. He worked at the zoo. And he'd been telling her all about the animals since they arrived. It only made sense that she would ask him, and not her mother, what the tortoises were doing. He cast a hesitant glance back at Carol before he answered. She shrugged her shoulders, indicating she didn't have any better answer prepared than whatever he might say.
"Well…," he said, clearly biting back a rather large grin. "They're not turtles, they're tortoises. And right now they're making baby tortoises. It's all part of the magic of nature."
Sophia turned back towards the tortoise enclosure. Her look of open curiosity slowly morphing into a sour grimace. "It doesn't look very magical to me," she announced. Her comment brought on some laughter from a few older kids nearby.
Carol was mentally preparing herself for more questions from her daughter. But thankfully, Sophia's ice cream began to drip down over her hand. The sticky mess effectively distracted her enough that Carol was able to lead the girl away from the tortoise exhibit and towards the closest trash can. Even though it was making a drippy mess, Sophia didn't want to throw her treat away. Carol shook her head and laughed as she watched her daughter lean over the trash and lick up what remained of the soft serve as fast as she could before it completely liquified. When Sophia finally gave up the fight, Carol grasped her by the wrist to keep her from wiping her hand off on her clothes and marched her towards the closest bathroom. Carol was washing her own hands when she heard a familiar sounding voice coming from outside the public restroom. Sophia's head popped up. And without waiting for her mother's permission, she darted outside. Carol shook the water from her hands as she rushed after her daughter.
The restrooms were the type without actual doors. Two cement hallways went in opposite directions, one leading around a corner and into the men's room. And the other to the women's. As Carol rushed out, trying in a panic to catch up with her daughter before the girl got too far away, she slammed directly into someone that was exiting the men's room. Colliding with the man was like slamming into a brick wall. Carol's much smaller frame bounced back. And she stumbled, catching herself with her hand against the chipped paint of the cement wall.
"Daryl?"
His name came out sounding more like a question. And Carol stood there a moment, staring at the man in confusion. Her daughter's excited squeals of laughter drew her attention away from his sudden appearance. Sophia and Wren were jumping all over each other. The way they were acting, a person would think they'd hadn't seen each other in years. In reality, the girls had only been apart for a few short hours. Carol watched them for a moment before she realized she was blocking the entrance to the ladies room and took a few steps forward.
"I think Sophia found a friend," Ezekiel said. He moved towards Carol, eyeing Daryl as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Are you alright?," he asked.
It took Carol a moment to realize Ezekiel was concerned because she slammed into Daryl as she was darting out of the bathroom. She nodded her head, shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other. Ezekiel smiled at the girls. And Carol turned her attention back to Daryl's sudden appearance.
"What are you doing here?," she asked. He'd been gone from River's apartment for the last few days. And she certainly hadn't discussed her zoo date plans with him. But she still found it hard to believe that Daryl showed up here by coincidence. Wren was well aware of where she and Sophia were going to be today. And that Carol was meeting a man here. River had been chirping about it nonstop for days. She helped Carol color her roots last night in preparation for her 'big date' today.
"Nothin'," Daryl huffed, lifting his arm and scratching at the freshly clipped hair on the back of his head. His shirt was missing the sleeves. But it appeared to be freshly laundered. And he obviously had a fresh haircut. Carol's stomach sank as she began to consider the possibility that he might be meeting a date here as well. Around the next corner, some young blonde with a bouncy ponytail and perky breasts was probably waiting to rub her hand up and down the length of his muscular arm.
"Me and Wren come 'ere all the time," Daryl huffed.
The sound of her name being mentioned caught Wren's attention. And she was quick to correct her uncle's obvious lie. "What?," Wren squeaked. "Y'ain't never brought me here before, Uncle Daryl! You hate the zoo! Ya said that it ain't right keeping all these animals locked up when they should be runnin' free! And ya don't wanna see 'em 'cause it makes ya angry!" Wren pointed at the man at Carol's side and added, "...Ya said ya wanted to keep an eye on him 'cause ya didn't like Momma Carol bringing Sophia around some strange ass man."
The color was rising in Daryl's cheeks as his niece continued on with her little blabbermouth session. Wren was like her mother that way. River couldn't keep a secret for shit. "And I also told ya to keep yer big mouth shut," Daryl grumbled under his breath.
Once Wren was finished repeating everything her uncle specifically told her not to repeat, the silence between the three adults grew awkward to the point of embarrassment. Carol was filled with a strange mix of emotions. She was oddly flattered that Daryl came all the way to the zoo just because she was here. And it made her chest ache to think that he loved Sophia enough to worry about her. But Carol also felt slightly insulted, like Daryl was questioning her parenting decisions. And maybe even implying that she was irresponsible. She brought her daughter along on her date. But they were at the zoo. Which was a perfectly appropriate place to bring a child. And she was watching Sophia closely. Carol would never leave her daughter alone with a man she didn't know. She wanted to be angry with him. But she was finding that harder and harder the redder Daryl's face got.
It was Ezekiel that finally broke the awkward silence. He cleared his throat and extended Daryl a peace offering by way of his outstretched hand. "I promise I have nothing but honorable intentions towards both my lovely lady here…" He paused for a moment, squeezing Carol's shoulder softly with his other hand. "...and our young friend Sophia." Daryl stared at Ezekiel's hand for a moment. But seeing that the man was giving him an out, Daryl took his hand and gave him a firm shake. He didn't offer his name. There was no need, since Wren already told the man that along with the rest of his business. "I'm Ezekiel, but my friends call me Zeke. We were just on our way over to feed the giraffes. Perhaps you'd like to join us?"