Page 82 of C is for Comfort

She leads the way, and the rest of us follow, Lexi holding Corey’s hand.

“I’m sorry my two are bickering,” I say, mostly to Corey. “They’ll settle down soon.”

Corey laughs. “It’s fine. As long as the kids have fun, that’s what matters.”

He holds his free hand towards me, and I accept it gladly. Lexi peers around him to scowl at me, so I smile back at her. I’m betting she’s both jealous and protective of her dad. From what Corey has told me, I’m the first person he’s seriously dated since Caroline left when Lexi was small. Having to share her dad with someone else can’t be easy for her when it’s just been the two of them for so long.

“There are four gorillas,” Tabitha says, reading the information plaques when we reach the exhibit. “And they’re all Western Lowland gorillas.”

“What does that mean?” Robbie asks.

“I don’t know,” Tabitha admits.

“I think it’s the area they’re from?” Corey says. “But I could be wrong.”

“I think you’re right.” I resist the urge to call him ‘sweet boy’. “Do you know their names, Tabitha?”

“There’s Mijukuu and her two children, Alika and Gernot, and then Effie.”

The gorillas are in a huge enclosure with lots of open space, trees for them to climb, and a moat separating the fenced-in viewing area from the rest of the enclosure. The two larger gorillas are sitting in the centre of the enclosure, eating root vegetables and fruit. The two younger ones are playing in the grass, lazily rolling over each other.

“Can we see the lions now?” Robbie asks once we’ve watched the gorillas’ antics for a while.

“They’re feeding the penguins in fifteen minutes,” Tabitha says, checking the map and then her watch.

“Can we see them feed the penguins, please, Daddy?” Lexi asks, staring up at Corey with wide, pleading eyes.

He glances at me.

“I think that would be fun,” I say. “Tabitha, when’s feeding time for the lions?”

“Later.”

“Why don’t we go and see the penguins now and the lions later when it’s their feeding time?” I suggest to Robbie.

“Okay,” he says in a sulky tone.

We leave the gorilla enclosure and walk in the direction of the penguins. Of course, everyone has the same idea of seeing them get fed, so by the time we get there, a huge crowd has formed. Corey picks Lexi up and puts her on his shoulders so she can see, and I do the same with Robbie. I wish I could boost Tabitha up too, but she doesn’t seem to mind, even though she has to stand on tiptoes and crane her neck to see.

One of the zookeepers talks about the penguins while another keeper feeds them fish. The penguins are funny little animals, and pretty soon, both Robbie and Lexi are giggling at their antics. I glance at Corey and realise he’s staring at me.

“This was a great idea,” he says. “Thanks for inviting us along.”

“I’m glad you came.”

I had worried I’d made the suggestion too soon, especially when Corey had taken a long time to reply to my text. I adore spending time with him, but I need him to know that I want to get to know Lexi as well. She’s his daughter. She will always be the most important person in his life.

Once the penguins have been fed, the crowd disperses, allowing us to get into the underwater viewing area. The kids press their hands and noses against the glass, gasping as the penguins fly through the water.

“They’re amazing, Daddy,” Lexi says, yanking his hand to pull him closer.

“They sure are, pudding.”

“I’m not a pudding,” she says, wrinkling her nose. She glares at me as if to tell me I’d better not even think about using that nickname for her.

“What’s next, Tabitha?” I ask.

She unfolds the map carefully. “Butterflies.”