A Modern Love

O in Opossum

O in Opossum

As they arrive at the zoo, Daryl looks like a small child entering Disney World for the first time. With wide eyes he looks at Beth who just smiles and holds into his arm. Hershel buys the tickets and they enter the gates. Right away, Daryl is searching corner to corner from left to right as to where he wants to go.

"Where ya wanna go?" Beth laughs as he has a small bounce in his step. "Ya wanna go down under? Asia? Africa? South America? The oceans? Or North America?"

"Can we do it all?"

"Haha of course, but where do you wanna go first?" Beth leans against his shoulders and he finally decides.

"Let's do North America!" They walk down the path to the North America exhibit and enter the building. Inside, it looks like a forest and Daryl seems at home. "Look at that!"

He tugs Beth over to a fence with different deer in there.

"Look, you can feed em, Daryl. Go ahead." Hershel hands Daryl a quarter and treats spool out of a machine is hands one to Beth and one to Hershel. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared. He watches as Beth stick her hand flat out and the deer's blue tongue reaches out and licks up the treat. Daryl also waits to watch Hershel do it, basically doing the same thing as Beth.

"Go on. They don't bite." Beth gently leads his hand to the fence where a reindeer is waiting for it's treat. She opens his hand flat and puts it through the fencing. The deer licks up the treat and Daryl just laughs at the slimy tongue stretching across his palm. "See that wasn't so bad. Come on."

They see, American gators, bears, farm animals, marmots, and foxes. Daryl stops and finds the opossum exhibit.

"What is that?" He tries to read the word on the plack, but the o is throwing him off.

"It's a opossum. You know what they are."

"But there's an o there. I think they made a mistake."

"Haha no silly. That's how they spell it. The o is silent." Beth leads him off and they tour the rest of the exhibits, leaving the aquarium for last.

They see sharks, turtles, fish, jelly fish, and more. Daryl looks around in wonder. He never seen I heard of half of these things. He never new there were many different types of tropical fish or sharks or even jellies. Beth loves watching him become captivate in the many species they see. Heading through the gift shop, Beth stops him.

"Wait. I need to get you something. " She runs over and grabs fuzzy Wolf ears and a pair of panda ears. She checks out and runs back. "Here!"

Placing the ears on his head, she laughs and Daryl just watches as she puts on the panda ears.

"Why?"

"Cause we're adorable. Come one! Let's get food!" She kisses him before they walk to the cafe across the street.

"Do we have to wear these in there?"

"Yes! Of course!" She gives him a scolding look and Hershel just laughs.

"Should've made him a opossum." Hershel adds.

They all laugh and head in for food.