Ira in the front.
Ira didn’t mind Wells not being right behind him, and I made sure to hold on tight to him while he gripped the blanket we were sitting on tightly.
Wells’s arms came around us, and he secured us even more with his strong arms.
It felt great, and I loved how much trust Ira, but also Wells, had in me.
“Here we go, hold on tight, buddy!” Wells told Ira.
He was giggling at the elephant started to move slowly, and before we disappeared in the jungle, Elsa called out for us to wave at the camera.
We did, and Ira was quick to notice the monkey running and climbing freely around the trees.
“Monkeys!”
“Aw, those are amazing, huh?” Wells asked as he pulled me tighter against his chest.
I was comfortable right in that spot and I was enjoying myself while getting to spend the day with his family.
Ira was joyful, which made us adults happy too, and the way his eyes glowed was taking me back to my own childhood.
“See those monkeys all over the trees?” the zookeeper making sure the elephant went the right direction asked us, looking up.
We nodded, then he continued to tell us all about them and the jungle itself.
It was nice to get some knowledge in while having fun, and I was positive a lot of the things he’d learn today would stick with him.
Wells
I wanted to keep my arms around her and hold her tight while she held on to Ira.
The elephant ride was amazing, and once we were back on the ground, we met my mother at a bench she had been waiting on.
“That looked like so much fun, Ira! How was it?” she asked.
“So cool!”
I chuckled and grabbed Rooney’s hand again, then nodded toward the sign which indicated the way to the rainforest and all the animals that lived in there.
“How about we go meet some frogs and snakes?” I asked Ira.
He nodded and quickly grabbed my other hand to pull us toward the building.
We spent the afternoon looking at reptiles and then checking out the big cats and how they were fed.
Ira was a little frightened at first, but once he realized there was no way for those lions and tigers to get out of their enclosures, he was right up front against the glass checking every single one of them out and giving them names, as a toddler would.
“Daddy, I’m hungry,” he told me once we passed the zebras and kangaroos, and I picked him up after letting go of Rooney’s hand.
“We can eat at the zoo’s restaurant where we can watch turtles and fish. How does that sound?” I asked him.
“Okay.”
I turned to look at my mother and Rooney, and they both agreed on dinner at the zoo.
Since we were here anyway, I wanted Ira to have the best experience.
We got to the restaurant and were taken to a table right next to the big tank surrounding the guests.
The glass was high enough to keep children from falling in or throwing things inside the water, so it was okay for Ira to stand on the chair to get a closer look while I kept my hand on his back to make sure he wouldn’t fall.
“It was a nice idea taking him here today, Mom.”
“I’m glad you two came with us. He couldn’t have done most of the things if he came with me alone.”
She meant riding on an elephant and going into the petting zoo and feeding smaller, friendlier animals.
“We had fun too,” Rooney told her, smiling at my mother.
They had a few conversations while I was either jogging after Ira or helping him go down the slide on the playground.
I observed them a little bit, and I could tell they liked each other already.
“Rooney’s a very sweet girl. I’m glad you two found each other,” Mom said, as if Rooney wasn’t right there next to her.
Luckily, I wasn’t the only one enjoying her company, and often times I saw Ira take Rooney’s hand and just hold it while we walked along the paths.
It was adorable.
Shit, I couldn’t wait until I had her all to myself again tonight.
As if she had read my mind, she reached out her hand to caress Ira’s arm to get his attention. “Are you spending the night at Grandma’s tonight again, sweetie?” she asked.
Ira nodded and looked at me with a serious look. “Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?”
We laughed at how concerned he was for me, and I leaned in to kiss his