Zookeeper Brett's boyfriend Eddy was a violinist, a concertmaster of an orchestra. Brett loved classical music too and he would often come along to listen to Eddy's orchestral performances. Brett loved the whole atmosphere. But as much as he loved watching and listening to Eddy play, Brett also equally loved it when they got to go and watch a performance together.
"Brett, you were staring at me all through the concert. You're meant to be looking at the stage y'know."
Brett shrugged.
"...Just how did you know I was staring at you when you're supposed to be looking at the stage?"
"I can tell."
"Well, you're not supposed to!"
"But I did.... So why?"
"I just like watching you fascinated by the music. It's more iNtErEsTiNg to watch you than the stage."
"...Well, where do you look when I'm actually performing then?"
"Oh, in that case I'd only be looking at you, of course."
Eddy blushed.
"So Brett, maybe next time I could come along and watch you in your element ?"
"What do you mean?"
"What animal do you normally look after? Now I know it's not the bloody alpaca."
Brett giggled.
"No, it's definitely not that the bloody alpaca. Though the girl who looks after him is actually a really nice person. Dunno how she puts up with him."
"OMG"
"So, did you want to guess my animal? I've got quite a few to look after but you might enjoy watching me look after this one in particular.... I've recently been assigned to them and they're gorgeous."
"Hmm. I have absolutely no idea."
"May I have a map please?"
"Certainly. Is there anywhere, in particular, you'd like to visit today?"
"Yes, I'd like to go see the meerkats..."
"Okay. So their enclosure is right over here..."
Since Brett gifted an annual pass to Eddy for the zoo where he worked, Eddy's been a regular visitor. In all reality though, he would stroll in to meet up with Brett at the café but hadn't really had much of an opportunity to look around, not since the first zoo date they had shortly after they first met months and months ago.
Eddy strolled over to the meerkat enclosure. He vaguely remembered seeing them before on his zoo date with Brett. When he peered over his waist height concrete wall of the enclosure and cast a shadow over one of them, it quickly scuttled away into a tree log. Eddy felt bad for scaring the little fella. A young boy, a toddler arrived with his mother. He was trotting along, then placed his hands on the wall in an attempt to peer in. The mother arrived a few steps later, pushing along an empty pram. She picked up the little boy to let him have a better look. The next instant Eddy heard the boy burst into tears. Eddy looked up at the mother and child to see what happened.
"He dropped his favourite red car..."
"Oh no. ...um.. let me call the zookeeper.."
Eddy got out his phone and dialled Brett.
"..Eddy? You're here now ?"
"Yeah. Um, I know I'm early but can you or someone come out here? A little boy dropped a toy in the enclosure."
"Oh yeah sure.."
"Look, I've got long arms, if I really tried I could probably reach..."
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no.. please, Eddy, I'll be there in less than 10 minutes. Please don't stick your arm in, okay?"
"Okay, I promise."
"Good, see you in a bit."
"The zookeeper will be here in 10 minutes to get your red car back."
"Oh, thank you...!!"
The young mother looked relieved.
"Hi. Where's the toy? Is it right at the front? Oh, there it is.."
Brett arrived shortly after and rather than jumping into the enclose from the front, he unlocked the side gate to make an entrance from the back of the enclosure, waving to the little boy who was still sobbing, missing his toy. The meerkats seemed quite oblivious to Brett's presence and carried on their merry way.
"Hi, Bob."
"Hey, Jane."
"Hey... um... Tina? Oops, sorry, Terrence"
Eddy raised an eyebrow.
Brett slowly walked up to the front part of the enclosure and picked up the little die-cast red car and handed it back to the little boy. The young mother smiled.
"Thank you so much....!"
"Not a problem."
"Brett.. do you actually know all their names..?"
Brett was on his lunch break and the two were munching on a burger meal at the zoo café.
"Yeah.. it's like a classroom of kindy kids... all 18 of them."
"Wow.. and.. you can tell them all apart?"
"Well, I've only been working with them for about 3 weeks... I'm learning. I swear, they all looked the same on my first day with them though."
Eddy found it amazing that Brett was starting to be able to tell them apart.
"Are they kinda aggressive?"
Brett looked up from his burger.
"No... not at all. Why do you say that?"
"I thought you were concerned they might gnaw my arm off if I stuck it in the enclosure."
Brett shrugged.
"Well, they could bite if they were frightened and I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate that whether it was your left or right hand.. plus from their perspective, it would scare the cr*p out of them to see a random arm reach into their enclosure.."
Eddy remembered how even casting his shadow made one of them run.
"Of course... gosh I'm so stupid.. sorry"
"Hey don't apologise, people have stuck their hands in to retrieve stuff in the past.. but ..."
"But what ?"
"We definitely prefer people not to do that.. you see we don't want others seeing it and think it's okay to do so.. we really prefer visitors to call us."
"Sure. Of course... So do you often get calls like that?"
"Yeah, kids drop stuff into enclosures all the time. Adults too. Toys, hats, phones... "
"I see. So what number should they call? I mean, I have your number but..."
"They just call the main zoo number and the staff can page us. Like today, they would've paged someone nearby.. I was actually on the other side of the zoo when you rang."
"OMG I'm sorry."
Brett smiled.
"That's okay. I got to see you a bit earlier, didn't I?"
Eddy had to pause and restart his heart again.
"....Hi, um could you please page someone to get this emu.. he or she.. ..I dunno has escaped from its double-doored enclosure and is terrorising the visitors... it's just outside the double gates..."
Shortly after Eddy hung up he saw a couple of staff approach the large bird in an attempt to calm it down.
It was after Brett's lunch break and Eddy was wandering around the zoo a bit before he decided to go home. He got to watch Brett look after the meerkats which Eddy thought was adorable and he felt he had enough excitement for the day at the zoo, particularly after seeing that emu screech and looking as if it would poke someone's eye out.
As Eddy left the zoo grounds, he exclaimed.
"Oh, c'mon, no way."
He took out his phone again.
"Hi.. um sorry, again but could you please page someone to get this peacock... he must have just walked out from your front gate? Or maybe he flew out, I dunno, can they fly? I'm here with him on Prince Albert Street.. where I've parked my car... yes I'm serious, he's right here with me.."