“Look at you!” Patricia’s voice rang out from behind me. “They’re so close.”
I grinned back at her. “Getting there!”
She kicked her leg up on the fence in the exact spot where Gerard had just done the same thing. “What exactly are you hoping they’ll do?”
“Well, first I need them to not be petrified of me, then you, then we’ll do something called ‘targeting.’ It’s getting them to touch their noses to my fist, which is a low-stress way to start making contact with them. Once we have that foundation of trust I’ll start trying other stuff like sending them to stations and maybe a few tricks.”
“Maybe they’ll end up as sweet as my other babies?” She brightened. “You haven’t met them yet, have you? Why don’t you come down to the other pen and see what sweethearts they are.”
I’d already been there for an hour and a half, but I wasn’t in a rush to leave. “Sure, I’d love to.”
I heard the bleating before I saw them. Loud, pitchy, demanding shouts that sounded more than a little human. The duo were crowded together, sticking their heads through the fence and screaming at us to hurry up.
“I usually bring them treats. They’re going to be disappointed,” Patricia said.
“Oh, I still have plenty.”
“Wonderful, they’re going to love you even more.”
The minute we slipped through the gate I felt like I was meeting a different species. Unlike the Mean Girls, who acted like I was a sniper in their pen, Rainbow and Happy greeted me like I was a celebrity, jumping up on me and letting out exuberant bleats.
“Aren’t they perfect?” Patricia laughed at their happy hops around us.
I sidestepped away from the goats, since jumping up was an impolite greeting no matter the species. “Who’s who?”
“The black one with the racing stripes on her head is Happy, and the white one is Rainbow.”
Their behavior was so different from the other goats that I felt myself holding back from touching them despite the fact that they were practically begging me for scratches.
I finally squatted down to pet them and Rainbow’s tail started wagging. “They’re like dogs!”
“Very similar.” Patricia nodded, rubbing Happy’s forehead. “Oh, don’t let me forget that I still need to settle up with you for today.”
Rainbow pushed her head against me in a cross-species request for more petting. “Let’s not worry about that now. We can figure it out once I start making progress.”
“We’ll see about that.” She shot me a look, then closed her eyes and took a deep inhale. “Doesn’t it smell fantastic? I just love fall.”
I filled my lungs with the cool air. “I love it too.”
The scent of leaves and the hint of a distant bonfire conjured up a jumble of feelings inside of me. I’d always loved fall forbeing the gateway to my favorite time of year. It was the season of family yet here mine was, hobbling along without the heart of ours.
“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” Patricia asked.
“My sister is hosting this year, she lives in Fishtown. She and her husband just remodeled their kitchen and she wants to show it off. What about you?”
“I’m hosting,” Patricia replied, leaning down to give Happy a kiss on the top of her head. “Always do. We invite a big group of people, family and friends. You’re welcome to drop by if you have time, I’m sure Andrew would enjoy seeing you.”
I choke-coughed and became very focused on rubbing Rainbow’s neck. “Thank you, that’s sweet of you to invite me, but I’m sure we’ll be turkey-napping well into the evening.”
“Ah yes.” Patricia grinned at me. “All those familiar holiday rituals.”
The more we talked about traditions the closer we veered to my shutoff valve. I didn’t want to get into the specifics of who would and wouldn’t be gathered around our Thanksgiving table. “I should probably head out.”
“I so appreciate your help today. We’ll get there.”
“We will. I need to come back more often, though, to keep the momentum going.”
“Well, we love having you here, so come as often as you like.”
