Standing, I rested my hands on my hips. “No, but that’s pretty cool.”
“It helps them see all the way around so they don’t have to turn their heads, and it protects them from predators.”
“He watched videos on YouTube about goats all night last night,” Marcus said dryly, sounding as if he had had it up to his eyeballs with the goat commentary, but his smile was warm and easy. “I know way too much about goats—more than I ever thought I would or believed was even possible.”
I laughed a little.
“Goats are interesting, Uncle Marcus,” Noah said, completely serious.
“I agree with him,” I said.
Marcus removed the sunglasses and hooked them at the front of his shirt. “I see what’s going on. Two against one, huh?”
Noah giggled. “Me and Miss Julia against you.”
“Not cool.” Marcus poked him twice in the side, and the little boy giggled and edged away. Then, Marcus’s eyes quickly swept over me—long enough for me to notice, but short enough that it didn’t seem disrespectful. “He hasn’t stopped talking about this visit since you agreed to come.”
“I’m happy to be here,” I replied sincerely. In fact, the anxiety I had experienced while getting dressed earlier had pretty much evaporated.
“All right, let’s go see these goats and chickens and whatever else they’ve got,” Marcus said.
“Yay!” Noah threw up his hands in an exuberant cheer.
“I see he’s doing much better today. No more tummy ache,” I commented in a low voice.
“I convinced him that he’s had enough ice cream, so I think we’re going to avoid that for a little while.”
“Good call,” I said, though I was disappointed since it meant I wouldn’t see them every day like I had been.
Marcus paid our admission, and we walked into the zoo, which was already busy with families and filled with the sounds of children squealing and laughing. Noah grabbed my hand on one side and Marcus’s on the other and began swinging our joined hands.
“We’re going to see the goats first, right?” Noah asked.
“Definitely goats first,” Marcus confirmed, smiling at me above the boy’s head.
To an outsider, we probably looked like a family—two parents smiling above the head of their kid, who happened to be dressed like a superhero.
I couldn’t believe how large the petting zoo area was. The map the cashier had handed Marcus showed a huge property. In addition to the petting zoo, there was a duck pond, pony rides, and a swimming pool.
“We have to get the food,” Noah said, pointing at the dispensers.
When Marcus pulled out his wallet, I waved him off. “I got it.”
It was the least I could do, considering how much ice cream he had fed me during the week, and he had covered my entrance into the zoo. I fed quarters into the machine, and food pellets rattled into our plastic bucket.
We then approached a fenced enclosure with goats crowded toward the visitors feeding them. Frankly, they were rather aggressive.
“Damn,” Marcus said in a low voice.
“Be careful,” I warned Noah.
But he had the fearlessness of youth on his side, and he moved close, pointing at a large brown and white goat. “He’s big.”
A zoo volunteer was standing nearby, her hair pulled into a ponytail and long bangs covering her forehead. “That’sMunchie. He’s a big guy, but he’s very gentle and loves attention.”
Noah poured several pellets into his palm and reached slowly toward Munchie, who ate the pellets right from his hand.
Noah looked up at us, his eyes filled with wonder. “Look! He’s eating them!”
