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The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

“Wait, how much,” Lexi asked the woman behind the glass window. “That is for all of us right?89.60 credits total,” she asked for clarification. There was no way Lexi could have heard the woman correctly. They were in San Diego on Earth in the Federation not some backwater planet run by Ferengi.

“No, ma’am. It is 89.60 credits for each adult, 79.60 for children 3 to 11 and 69.60 for kids younger than three for the two-day experience because you are not going to be able to see all the animals in one day,” the woman went over the cost once again. “So for 248.8‬0 credits, you can go to the Safari one day and the zoo the next. We want this to be an immersion experience.”

“I want it to be an I see a damn elephant and penguin experience in one day,” Lexi said a bit huffily. Why were things always so complicated. If they had just gone to the public zoo in San Franscico it would have been free but the San Diego Zoo was privately owned by OMAP. The experience was rivaled as second to none.
depending on what you choose. You only get one or the other.”

“Then it’s 56 credits each for an adult, 46 credits for children, and 36 credits for children under three but you only get a choice of one park so you need to choose between the zoo or the safari park,” the woman explained for the second time.

“How is that even fair,” Lexi groaned. “I mean look at the map. You have an aerial ride between the parks. Are you saying we can’t use the aerial ride because we didn’t get the park at the end of the ride?”

“No,” the clerk said slowly as if Lexi had a brain injury, “I am telling you that for 250 credits you get a choice of one visit to the San Diego Zoo and one visit to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. You don’t have to actually do only one park each day but you will miss stuff. Now if you upgrade to the annual pass you not only save money because that is 112 credits per adult or 174 credits total because you are married and brought your spouse,” she gestured to Chris, “but you can take your time. We have almost 5000 animals. The annual pass is a better value because for 263.6‬o you can come back anytime you want for a year,” the woman sighed hating why customers made this so difficult.

“But we only have today to go to the zoo,” Lexi wrinkled up her nose. Her head was starting to ache. This little excursion was going to be close to 400 credits by the time they were all said and done factoring in snacks and the gift shop. Money wasn’t tight but Lexi was on an income of one. Toby and she did not mix accounts and agreed not to in the future for the first year or so of marriage. Why she had suggested the zoo was starting to piss her off.

Lt. Lexi Garfield

“Hey, I got this buttercup, don’t fret.” Chris said as he stepped in front handing over his credit chip.

“Chris no you don’t have to do this. I got it,” she pulled her card out from her purse. “I just didn’t think it would be half a paycheck to see something like an animal. Use mine please,” Lexi reached around his arm only to see the woman processing the transaction. She couldn’t help but feel mad and in love at the same time. Her anger was that this should have been the perfect day. It should have been a day where she and Chris blew off work to spend the day as a family at the zoo. It wouldn’t matter who paid because everything between them was shared. Instead, it was a perfect parody. All the fun of a family outing but they were going to a hotel that night for her wedding instead of preparing for the next day of stinky animal fun.

“I’ll take the annual pass.” Chris said as he looked back at Lexi and smiled softly.

“Because,” Lexi looked at Chris confused some. “I thought you were taking a position with the Atlantis?”

“What? I mean I come to Earth all the time and it’ll give me something to do with Ruth. Maybe I can teach her all the animals, she can be like that really weird woman I meet at this conference once… Kalani Kane. That woman is like coo coo for animals, I here her boyfriend even made her a vivarium on their ship. Who knows maybe Ruth grows up and wants to name every animal in the known universe.” Chris said as the lady finished the transaction giving Chris the badges for the group and paperwork that went with his purchase as he took his credit chip back.

You want to see her again? Why? She isn’t your kid. She is a Schmidt not a Robbins. You should be more worried about finding your own kid that playing Dad with mine, Lexi spewed vicious words in her head. They were meant to try and make her conscious see that it was never going to work no matter how much she still felt for him or was she simply jealous? Chris was going to find out Ruth was his daughter sooner rather than later. The tickets would be handy when she handed her baby girl over for the weekend. The thought of losing even a second with Ruth was almost as painful as losing a future with Chris.

“I’m gonna push Ruth if that’s okay, I wanna take her to the wallaby exhibit. They are my favorite back home, all the cuteness of a Kangaroo but they won’t mug you for food when you go for a jog in the outback.” Chris said as he got behind the stroller as he took the reigns to steer Ruth as the group entered the Zoo.

Time went by in the day as exhibit after exhibit, with each items galore piling up on the stroller which began to look like a roving exhibit of stuffed animals that they had gotten for Ruth at each location. Finding a nice quiet shady place the pair settled down as Chris had left to get them some snacks. His arms seemed to be filled with treasure troves of food as slushies, giant pretzels, cotton candy, nachos, beer and more could be seen. The balancing act of all the food was something of a feat as he sat down at the table they had gotten as he settled in next to Lexi and Ruth.

“Okay, so what are we missing?” Chris said as he grabbed a piece of the giant pretzel and broke it off as he placed it in his mouth like a cigar as he pulled out the map and placed it across the table.

“Nothing, except for the two suticases Ruth is going to need to get all of this stuff home.” After relaxing and pushing her wedding from her mind, Lexi started to have fun by the first exhibit. By exhibit five she was living in her fantasy for the day. “Gimmie some of that pretzel,” she requested. Leaning over the table Lexi took a bite out of the pretzel hanging from his mouth not even thinking about what she was doing. That was until her lips brushed his. It was never meant to be a kiss. It was just meant to be a silly spontaneous action like when they were young and their only worry was passing a class or how fast they could run the mile for PT. Still the second they touched Lexi froze as if in stone. Any other time it would have been comical but with the cascade of emotions running through her, something made her not want to move. Her breath came in heavy bursts as her eyes met his.

“This feels like our geolocation adventure, reading a map to find out where the heck we should head to next… let me tell you Ruth your mom is really bad at directions.” Chris said as he swallowed his pretzel before grabbing one of the cotton candies as he opened it and pulled a bit out and handed her a piece.

Gimmie,,gimmie, gimmie, Ruth grabbed at the offered treat and shoved it into her mouth. Just like her mother moments later, Ruth looked at Chris. Where did it go, she asked him with a stunned expression.

“She will tell you she knows how to navigate but she doesn’t, it’s why I think I decided to major in Stellar Cartography… cause she can literally not find a hole in the ground let alone a star system.” he said with a light and playful tone as he seemed to have a smile that would never fade from him in this moment.

Christopher Robins

“Whatever,” Lexi pulled her hair back into a ponytail as Chris chatted.

Mommy? Chris? Daddy Ruth ran through each of their names as her parents talked not directing their full attention on her. It went away and I didn’t get any, she watched Chris pop another piece in her mouth. Chris, her bottom lip shook. I didn’t get any, she repeated. The cotton candy had melted the second it hit her mouth as expected except Ruth expected more. Moving her jaws she could not find anything to eat so she began to cry. It was so yummy but seemed to disappear before she even got a chance to eat it. Mommy, she started to cry and reached up wanting one of them to make it better.

Lt.Lexi Garfield