3Cheers | PicFic

Not So Much a Rough Guide

The travel guide was accurate, if a tad unhelpful. “For more information about Hell,” it said, “see below.”

Look kid. Daddy’s never coming back, okay? He joined the circus or something. Now if you don’t mind, “Top Chef” is on.

I know you miss Daddy, Sweetie, but save the tears for Dr. Carter. I’m not very good with the emotional stuff.

I do want to spend time with you, darling. It’s just that mommy needs time with her boyfriends, too.

The baby sitter’s name? Tiffany? Emily? Ashley? Does it matter?

“What’s your dog’s name?” Leo asks. “Bear,” I reply. “Yours?” “Tiger,” he says back. “Any other pets?” “Yes. A cat named Puppy.”

It’s London Zoo and ten minutes to closing time. The clock walks in and out of cages. I love you baby when you laugh like that at monkeys.

Penguin and pelican, wing in wing, approaching. It’s some bird act, I know. Two birds from nowhere. One flies, one walks.

The zoo stuntman is immobile today. Poor orang-utan with nowhere to go. Panda winks at him, tries to cheer him up, and fails.

We’ll take a photo of you with the lovebirds, and you pay for it on the way out, please. We are zoo paparazzi with a Polaroid camera.

What happens when all the animal cages are cleaned? They get dirty again in no time. What happens when they get dirty again?

Grass meets her back, then his, then hers. Tasting each other the moonlight is ignored. The eclipse, which they came for, forgotten.