When it was over and the theater cleaned, Hannah was allowed to slip out of the surgery. Her hands were still shaking from the whole thing, her head a scramble of thoughts.
She needed a few moments alone to gather herself back together again. Stumbling down the pathway, she sat on the first seat she found – which was in the zoo’s food court.
Normally the area would have been chaotic with kids running everywhere as their parents tried to get them to eat. As it was outside lunchtime, it was much quieter than usual. Only a few families were seated and eating, mostly snack food now.
Hannah cradled her head in her hands and closed her eyes. They had been so close to losing the kangaroo. He could have died back there and she couldn’t have done anything about it. If it wasn’t for Dr. Johnson and his assistants, he wouldn’t be alive now.
It was a stark reminder for Hannah that the animals’ lives were so precious and dependent on them. Just one little mistake or slip up and they could lose them.
She pictured herself in Dr. Johnson’s position Would she be able to remain so calm in the same position? Once she’d been through college and completed all her training, would she be any good as a vet?
She hoped so, but there were no guarantees. All she could do was study her butt off and be the very best she could be. With any luck, everything would fall into place if she worked hard enough.
The sound of children giggling nearby caught her attention. Her head rose before she looked around. There were a group of children playing at the edge of the food court where an enclosure of spiders was positioned.
Animals of all kinds brought joy to the zoo’s visitors. From the smallest of creepy-crawlies to the heaviest elephants. They were all special and they all needed the vets and the keepers to look after them with the highest of care.
Hannah could do it. She knew deep within herself that she was capable of it. Whatever her job threw at her, she would rise to the challenge and then do it. Sure, it was going to be difficult, but everything worth doing was difficult.
She watched Harry approach the group of children by the spiders. He crouched down and started speaking with the kids, pointing at the different spiders behind the glass. They were all enthralled in whatever he was saying, completely absorbed in the story he was spinning.
Hannah couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her lips. If there was anyone that would succeed, it was Harry. He had a way with people and animals, an irresistible charm that was difficult to refuse. She had succumbed to that charm when she was fifteen and was falling for it again now.
Her cell phone beeped with a text message in her pocket. Hannah reluctantly tore her gaze away from Harry to read it. The message was from Logan:
Hey Hannah Banana, I just helped an elephant survive a hunting attack. It’s amazing out here, my team is actually making a real difference and saving lives. I’m so glad I came, but I’m missing you. Hope everything is going great. Logan xx
He gave her another reason to smile. Logan might not have been as charming as Harry, but he was passionate. Hannah knew Logan was exactly where he was supposed to be in Africa. The animals needed him much more than she did.
She picked herself up from the seat and stood, forcing herself forward. Her hands had stopped shaking; she was slowly getting over the shock of the kangaroo emergency. Life at the zoo went on, no matter what happened.
Later on, after Hannah was finished with her shift, she started working on her enclosure project at home. It still seemed silly to be doing something a fifth-grader could do but she did it anyway. Whatever it took to succeed, she would put her heart and soul into it.
Alicia was working with her, trying to make paper trees without gluing her fingers together. She finally succeeded with one. “One down, only nineteen more to go.”
“You’re on your way,” Hannah replied.
They worked in silence for some time, the television providing background noise so it wasn’t completely devoid of sound. Coco was in the kitchen cooking dinner, quietly humming to herself. Billy was asleep on the couch.
“My dad called me today,” Alicia said out of nowhere.
That got all of Hannah’s attention. “He did?” In her mind, she crossed her fingers, hoping it was the start of a good story and not a tragic one.
“Yeah. He didn’t say much, just asked how I was and stuff. I couldn’t believe it when I saw his name on my caller ID. I thought something really horrible must have happened.”
“But he called, that’s a big step, right? He wouldn’t talk to you before.”
Alicia sighed. “Yeah, it’s a step. I don’t know if things can ever be the same between us, but at least he called. He doesn’t hate me like I thought he did.”
“Did anything come out of it? Are you going to visit him?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t say anything like that. It was just a quick hello and not much else.”
“It’s a start.”
“I hope so.”
Hannah hoped so too. She had been so worried her visit to Mr. Samburu would only cause damage to their relationship. But maybe it had actually helped. Maybe she’d given Alicia’s dad something to think about. Maybe he’d listened.
They returned back to their paper and cardboard enclosures, working in silence once again. Neither said another word until Coco called out from the kitchen, “Dinner’s ready!”
CHAPTER 5
Hannah wondered if there would ever come a time when she wouldn’t be nervous before a date. The butterflies were alight in her stomach while she got ready for her date with Harry. She was nervous about the whole thing and just wished she could stay calm.
She was reminded of a time three years earlier when she was also getting ready for a date with Harry. It was the first date she’d ever been on and had no clue what they were going to talk about all night. That was what she was most worried about.
Three years later, and her concerns were different this time around. She knew she would find something to talk about with Harry, that wasn’t a worry. No, she worried the date wouldn’t go as she’d hoped. She knew what she wanted now, and that was Harry. But a lot had gone on and she wasn’t sure he felt the same way.
When he arrived, looking as handsome as ever, the butterflies in her stomach thudded against each other. She tried to keep a handle on them so they didn’t get carried away, but it was impossible. When butterflies were set off by your one true love, they would never be silenced again.
“You look beautiful. Shall we get going?” Harry said, holding his hand out for her to take.
Hannah was grateful Coco and Alicia had gone out for takeaway so they weren’t there to coo over how cute they were together. This was a serious, grown up date, not two kids pretending.
Harry drove them downtown to the cinema, making small talk the whole way. It was easy to spend time with him, they flowed together as surely as the sea. It helped calm Hannah down. If something felt this right, it had to be right.
The movie was good, but Hannah didn’t pay her full attention to the screen. She was waiting and hoping for Harry to hold her hand, like he used to when they were fifteen years old. But his hands remained on his lap, or wrapped around the popcorn box.
Afterwards, they went out to dinner at Harry’s favorite diner. They sold the best fries in Mapleton with a dipping sauce made from a secret recipe. Nobody had been able to recreate the sauce and they weren’t divulging the secret.
They sat on opposite sides of the booth. The place was busy, a combination of being Saturday night and the cinemas just letting out. Hannah recognized several people from her graduating class, all ready for the changes that the end of summer would bring.
“This sauce never disappoints,” Harry said, shoving more fries into his mouth.
“I know, right. The movie was good too.”
“It was.”
They had been speaking freely but it seemed now there was a lull in the conversation. Hannah wanted to ask him if he saw them getting bac
k together or not but she didn’t know how to start that conversation. Too much hinged on the discussion to bring it up out of nowhere.
“I liked the dog in the movie,” Harry said. “It reminded me of one of the dogs in the shelter. Remember Timmy?”
“Oh yeah! He was totally just like Timmy!”
“That was a really good summer.”
Hannah saw her opening and she took it. “That summer was good for a lot of reasons, not just volunteering at the shelter. It brought us together.”
“It did. It’s a pity we couldn’t make it work,” Harry replied. For a moment, he was elsewhere, lost in his memories from three years’ earlier.
“Maybe if we had a second chance, we could make it work. We’re older now, we have a better idea about what we’re doing.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about that.”
“You have?” Hannah chewed on her lip as she held her breath. She desperately wanted to hear the words she craved. It would start their relationship anew, give them something to take away from the summer once it was over.
“I really like you, Hannah,” Harry started. “I think you’re amazing, I’ve never thought any differently since the moment I first met you. But I think we work better as friends.”
Friends. The word Hannah had been dreading. Hearing it spoken now from Harry was devastating. She tried to hide how much it hurt, she didn’t want Harry to know how much she loved him. It wouldn’t change anything; it would just be humiliating. “We can be friends. I mean, we always have been.”
“I’m glad you think so too. We’ve always worked better this way.”
After having her heart broken, Hannah just wanted to go home. She grew tired of pretending everything was fine and having to be perky. All she wanted to do was hide away from the world for a while, until it stopped hurting so much at least.
Harry dropped her home and she went straight to her room. The tears started in the shower and continued when she went to bed. She cried into her pillow, hoping all the hurt would be gone by morning.
But of course it wasn’t. She woke up and dragged herself downstairs, determined to mope around until she felt better. It didn’t take long for Coco to notice something was wrong with her daughter. “Tell me what happened,” she said, sliding a plate of pancakes across the kitchen bench toward her. Alicia was already munching on her breakfast.
“Harry said he just wants to be friends,” Hannah blurted out.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Did the date go that badly?”
“No, it was good. He just said it out of nowhere, he thinks we work better as friends. He doesn’t want me.”
Coco sighed. “How could he not want to be with you? He’s making a big mistake, that’s what he’s doing. He’s obviously not good enough for you and you’re better off without him.”
Hannah knew her mother was just being nice, she was doing the motherly thing and trying to cheer her up. She didn’t believe Harry wasn’t good enough for her, everyone in that room believed they were supposed to be together.
“He might be thinking about college and what happens after summer,” Alicia said, joining the conversation. The others looked at her, including Billy from his place on the floor. “I’m just saying, we’re all starting college in a few weeks. If you start something now, it might only end soon. Maybe Harry is thinking ahead and trying to avoid that heartbreak.”
Hannah hadn’t thought about that. She had just assumed they would make it work, no matter what happened. Their colleges weren’t very far from one another, they would still be able to see each other regularly.
“That sounds very reasonable,” Coco said.
“Yeah, maybe,” Hannah mumbled.
She could have all the logical explanations in the world, but Hannah couldn’t stop the sting of rejection hurting her. Love was supposed to conquer all; logic wasn’t meant to factor into the equation at all. If Harry loved her, he wouldn’t care about the end of the summer. He would embrace her and ignore the consequences.
Not even working on her enclosure project could take her mind off the situation. She moped around until Monday morning when she started her shift at the zoo. She really wished Logan was there, preparing the rosters and making sure she didn’t work with Harry. There was no telling if he was working today or not now.
She threw her things in her locker and then hurried to start her tasks for the day. If she kept her head down, she might have been able to avoid speaking with any humans. The animals always had the best conversations.
Unfortunately, the macaws didn’t warn her that Harry was just around the corner. They collided as they reached the intersection of the paths. “Sorry,” Hannah mumbled as she looked up and saw who it was.
“We have a bad habit of running into each other,” Harry replied with a smile.
What Hannah wanted to say was that they were always in the same place because that was how the universe wanted it to be. Fate kept making them collide, not an unsurpassed level of clumsiness.
What she actually said was, “Yeah, friend, we do. I mean, it’s a good thing we’re friends, otherwise it might be annoying. Because we’re friends. We know each other.” She was having trouble making the words stop, even though they weren’t making much sense.
Harry gazed at her for a moment, as if trying to read her mind and decipher the real meaning of her words. He gave up. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course it is.” She shucked him on the shoulder. “Friend.”
The macaws squawked, even they were uncomfortable with the conversation going on outside their enclosure.
“I need to go, I’m very busy,” Hannah said before stepping around Harry and hurrying off. Her face was burning with embarrassment and she didn’t want him to see that too.
She’d made a fool out of herself, or so she thought. It was just so difficult speaking with Harry now. Their date had gone so well before the whole friend discussion. It was difficult acting as a friend when she had a heart full of love for him.
The birds all watched her scamper through their enclosure. They were always curious about visitors, especially ones that often brought them food.
Hannah didn’t stop to admire all the colorful feathers and graceful birds this time, she rushed through and went straight to her next task – attending to the armadillos.
Alicia was already scooping up poop when she arrived. Hannah grabbed a shovel and helped out, not even hesitating where poop was involved these days. She had come a long way over the summer.
“Our enclosures are due tomorrow,” Alicia said. “Have you finished yours yet?”
A subject that didn’t involve Harry was a gift. “Almost. I just need to stick a few more trees around the place and then I’ll be satisfied that it’s good enough for the elephants. How about you?”
“I need to do a lot more. I’ll have to finish it tonight, even if that means no sleep.”
“Yes, you’d better,” Dr. Johnson said, startling them both. They jumped around to face him, not hearing his approach. “The recommendation could change a career for one intern. I hope to see all your best efforts placed into the project.”
“Yes, sir,” they chimed in unison. As if they didn’t feel enough pressure about the enclosure diagram.
Dr. Johnson inspected the armadillo area before leaving without further comment. The girls felt they were under inspection but they didn’t know whether they passed or failed. The head vet didn’t complain, so maybe it was a pass.
CHAPTER 6
The elephant enclosure model was heavy as Hannah carried it through the zoo to the food court. She had only spent another hour on it the night before to make sure it was perfect. Poor Alicia was up until after midnight.
There were already three other diagrams lined up when she added hers to the display. The monkey, spider, and penguin enclosures looked fantastic – the interns had gone all out for the recommendation. As Hannah inspected them, she hoped hers was good enough to catch the public eye so they’d vot
e for her.
Being a weekday, there would be fewer people at the zoo, so less people to vote for their favorite enclosure. It would be difficult getting the numbers to win the competition when faced with so many high quality entrants.
The recommendation was on her mind all morning. Every visitor she came across in her duties was an opportunity to remind them to vote and explained her entry was the elephants’ enclosure. She hoped by putting a friendly face to the entry, they might vote for her.
Unfortunately, every other intern was doing the same thing. They weren’t just colleagues anymore, they were competition. And the hunger to win was very strong.
At least she hadn’t seen Harry yet. Hannah saw his enclosure lined up with the others, so he’d dropped it in sometime during the morning. Thankfully, she had managed to be elsewhere in the zoo at that time.
A message crackled through Hannah’s radio, asking her to come to the ticket office as they were understaffed and needed help. When she arrived, she jumped into a ticket booth and started to process visitors so they could enter – and hopefully vote.
She had processed dozens of people before she stopped. The man standing at her booth was one she recognized – Mr. Samburu, Alicia’s father.
“I’d like to see my daughter,” he said. “Do I need to buy a ticket for that?”
Technically, he did. But all the staff and interns had family members visit them without paying for admission. It was acceptable, an unspoken perk of working at the zoo. “No, I’ll call Alicia and ask her to let you in.”
“Thank you.” He was a man of few words, as Hannah had already discovered.
She called through to Alicia on the radio and asked Mr. Samburu to wait while she served some more visitors. Alicia turned up a few minutes later, her hands still covered in mud from helping dig a new tunnel for the wombats.
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