Page 24 of Rush
“Don’t move,” I said excitedly, taking out my phone. Opening the camera, I snapped a picture and smiled. “You look so cute.”
He shook his head, dislodging the butterfly. “If you so much as Instagram that, you’ll be sorry.”
“I’d like to see you try,” I retorted, giggling like a schoolgirl.
Rolling his eyes, he glanced at his watch. “C’mon. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” I tilted my head to the side. “What kind of surprise?”
“Animal themed, obviously.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the butterfly house and into the sunshine.
“It’s not something to do with snakes, is it? I’m not a fan, you know.”
“I’m not telling,” he shot back, leading me through the zoo. “It’ll ruin the surprise.”
Finally, we stopped beside a group of waiting families and couples. Among them was an employee with a clipboard, talking enthusiastically with a father and a toddler.
Ryan told me to wait, then he approached her. I watched nervously as he spoke to the woman, trying to decipher what he had in store, but it was a mystery. When he returned, he was tight-lipped. Whatever we were all waiting for wasn’t going to be revealed until whatever it was began.
“Tell me,” I said, moaning. “I’m dying.”
“Just like a baby,” he shot back, loving every second of it.
“You’re cruel!”
“Shh,” he hissed. “It’s starting.”
“Welcome to Melbourne Zoo, everybody! Are you guys ready to feed the giraffes?” the woman called out. “Follow me, and we’ll meet your keeper, who’ll introduce you to some of our residents.”
My mouth fell open, and I clutched Ryan’s arm. “We’re feeding giraffes?”
He nodded. “I booked it online last night. I thought it would be good.”
“Good?” I exclaimed as we were led into the rear of the public enclosure. “It’s epic!”
I was almost jumping out of my skin with excitement as we stood there waiting. I hugged Ryan’s arm against me, not giving two stuffs about how I looked or what he thought about my touchy-feely mental capacity. Today, I was ten-year-old Jade, and who gave a flying fruitcake.
“We have a few safety rules,” the keeper said, grasping my attention. “No patting the giraffes. They’re precious about being touched.”
Ryan snorted beside me, and I punched him softly in the gut.
“No teasing or breaking the food into smaller pieces,” the keeper went on. “Keep hold of your personal possessions, and watch the giraffes at all times. They’re relaxed animals and quite friendly, but we don’t want to startle them.”
We were handed buckets that contained several pieces of long-leaf lettuce as we were given some facts about the giraffes they kept at the zoo.
“The giraffe is the tallest land mammal on the planet,” the keeper said as he moved through the assembled group. “They spend most of their lives standing up.” He stopped by a family with a young girl and added, “They even sleep that way. Can you imagine?”
I tried to picture it but couldn’t conjure the image.
“They sleep up to two hours a day, napping for five to ten minutes several times throughout the day and night,” he continued. “It’s so they can always be on the lookout for predators. They’re safe here at Melbourne Zoo, but we strive to preserve their natural behaviors. Conservation of these precious animals is our number one priority, along with all the residents.”
Watching as several giraffes approached across the enclosure, I tugged at Ryan’s T-shirt excitedly.
“Look at them,” I said breathlessly. “They’re much prettier in real life than on TV, don’t you think?”
“Of all the things I thought I would be doing today, this was not one of them,” he replied, craning his neck as the animals milled around the fence.
“Now remember,” the keeper said. “Be gentle, and hold your hand steady. They won’t hurt you. They take the lettuce with their tongues. See if you can guess how long they are.”
