Page 71 of 3 Daddies to Go

That is a fitting first stop after my dream. In it, we were petting and riding the zebras. Unfortunately, in real life, we have to stay outside the fence. They’re still cool to look at, though.

“Did you know scientists are still trying to figure out why zebras have stripes?”

“I thought it was for camouflage?”

“Apparently not,” Kendall tells us. “They think they have to do with keeping them cool or keeping bugs away, but no one is completely sure why they have stripes. And the debate about whether they’re white with black stripes or black with white stripes is always ongoing, of course.”

“I’d say white with black stripes,” I say. “They have white bellies.”

Kendall shrugs. “You might be right, you might not be. That’s the beauty of it. There really isn’t an answer.”

I pull Kendall against me and kiss her lips. She’s startled by the movement, but quickly melts into the contact.

“What was that for?” she asks, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

I shrug.

“Just because I felt like it.”

We continue our walk through the zoo, visiting all the animals. About halfway through, we come to a small petting zoo.

“Goats!” Kendall cries, practically running towards them. “Oh my god, I love goats!”

She pets their scratchy heads, and they open their mouths for food, but Kendall doesn’t have any. Tag, Tanner, and I hightail it over to the booth selling animal food and get a few small buckets. Kendall smiles even wider when we hand her one so she can feed the goats.

Now that she has pellets, even more animals make their way over to her.

“Easy, now,” Kendall giggles. “There’s plenty to go around!”

I fill my palm with some pellets and hold them out to a llama. He doesn’t spit on me, which is a relief. His lips feel prickly against my skin.

We walk around feeding the animals until our buckets are empty. After washing our hands, we continue our tour of the zoo, making our way towards the Australia exhibits.

“I need the bathroom,” Tag says. It’s hot, so while he’s using the restroom we take a momentary reprieve in the shade from the building.

“Are you having fun?” Tanner asks Kendall.

She nods, her back against the wood wall of the bathroom. “Are you?”

He smiles, bending down his head to kiss her instead of answering. She wraps her hands around the back of his neck to bring him closer. They make out until Tag walks out.

“You guys can’t have all the fun without me,” he says with a smirk. Tanner moves to the side to give Tag a chance to taste Kendall’s lips. I know from experience that they’re a little salty and a little sweet, a mix of sweat and her strawberry lip gloss. I want another taste, so when Tag is finished, I give her a quick peck.

Someone behind us gasps. I turn to find a woman around our age with her hand over her mouth, shaking her head. She doesn’t seem to approve. I shrug. Our lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but it works for us. I bet if she had three huge poles at her disposal, she’d change her mind.

Kendall doesn’t notice the glare from the woman. She’s all smiles as she leads us towards a gate. Inside, we’re walking among wallabies just wandering free. They don’t get too close to the walkway, but it’s still awesome. Australia is the only continent I have yet to visit.

We stop at a turn where three wallabies stand a few feet away, studying us.

“What do you think they’re thinking?” Kendall asks. She pulls out her phone to snap a few pictures.

“They’re probably wondering what you’re thinking.”

Kendall laughs.

“Well, little wallabies, I’m thinking about how much fun I’m having.”

“That’s probably what they’re thinking too. Or they’re thinking about food. These guys aren’t carnivores, right?”