7. Seven

Seven

Carson

When I open my eyes, the first thing I'm aware of is the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. When I emerge from my bedroom, I'm dressed in brown cargo shorts and a blue polo shirt. I head straight to the kitchen as the delicious smell of sizzling bacon mingles with the scent of coffee.

I stop short when I see Anna standing in front of the stove. She has on white shorts and a white and blue halter top that shows off her tanned back. She's barefoot with a kitchen towel tied around her waist as an apron. She's flipping a perfectly browned pancake as I saunter up to the coffee pot. I pour myself a cup of coffee as my eyes search the apartment.

I hear Anna give a soft laugh, "If you're looking for Connor, good luck. He can be extremely hard to get up in the mornings," she says over her shoulder. "But I've found that bacon works better than any alarm clock."

As she continues to cook a pile of pancakes, I get out plates and silverware and set the dining room table. I place butter on the table and look around for the syrup we bought, but can't find it.

I hear the spare bedroom door open and out comes a rumpled Connor, still in his shorts and T-shirt that he slept in. He mumbles something that resembles a good morning but then disappears in the direction of the bathroom.

Anna brings the food to the table. I automatically reach to help her with the pancakes and bacon, and I can tell by her startled expression that she's not used to getting assistance.

She deftly places the stack of golden pancakes on the table. I set down the plate of crispy bacon, as she goes over to the microwave and gets out the syrup. I smile, as they're nothing better than hot syrup on pancakes. I notice she also fried three eggs, and she put the smaller plate down near the head of the table.

Right about then, Connor comes out of the bathroom, looking slightly less rumpled. It looks like he half-heartedly attempted to brush his hair, as it still sticks up in the back. He pulls out a chair and slumps into it, still half asleep.

I take a seat at the head of the table while Anna pours a large glass of milk for Connor, setting it down beside him. He picks it up and takes a long gulp before he mumbles a belated, "Thanks, Mom."

Anna just smiles. I watch as Connor reaches for the pile of pancakes. He spears four at once, transferring them to his plate with ease. Then he smears them with butter and drowns them in the warm syrup.

I help myself to three pancakes, and they pass the plate to Anna. I do the same with the bacon. After she takes a few slices, she whispers, "You might want to take a bit more because Connor typically eats anything that isn't already taken."

I chuckle as I take a few more slices of bacon. Sure enough, I watch as Connor makes short work of his four pancakes and the remaining bacon. I grin over at Anna, "I see what you mean. He's a bottomless pit disguised as a boy." Her answering smile is swift, and we share a smile of amusement between us. Connor pretends he doesn't hear us and continues to focus on shoveling in his food.

Once all the plates are empty, Anna gets up and silently warms up her coffee and mine. Connor finally glances up from his plate as he finishes off his glass of milk.

He looks from me to Anna with raised eyebrows, "What are we doing today?"

I look from him to his mother. "What would you like to do?" As I try to think of places a ten-year-old would like to visit, "There's the zoo, or we could go to the beach."

Connor turns around with wide eyes, "I want to go to the zoo. We had beaches in Lauderdale."

I look at Anna, who smiles, her eyes lighting up, "I haven't been to a zoo in ages. It sounds like fun."

I help Anna clear the table, and while she's loading the dishes in the dishwasher, I give Suzanne, my admin, a call.

"Hi, Carson. I've rescheduled all of your meetings for next week and the week after. Your schedule is cleared," replies my always efficient administrative assistant.

"Great. Thanks. I'll be in next Monday."

"Carson, if anyone asked, I told them you had something come up at the last minute."

"Thank you. You can tell my brothers the same thing if they ask. I'll be sure to talk to them myself before Monday."

"Perfect. Enjoy your time off, Carson."

"I will."

I look up as Connor steps out of the bedroom in shorts and a T-shirt. He has a baseball hat on his head.

"Alright, let's go," I announce as I rub my hands in front of me and hold open the door.

When we enter the grounds of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Connor is practically bouncing with excitement as he runs ahead of us.

"Don't get too far ahead, Connor," Anna calls after him.

The day is bright with sunshine and the sky is a clear azure blue with hardly a cloud in the sky.

Anna glances over a me and says, "We couldn't have picked a better day."

I grin in agreement as I pull out the provided map of the animal exhibits. We briefly skim the brochure and then put it away as we follow the main trail that leads us to the African Loop.

It's a long boardwalk where we can observe the animals in an open environment.

We see the flamingos first. Anna walks over to the plaque and reads, "Flamingos get their pink color from the carotenoid pigments they get from the shrimp and algae they eat."

Connor turns to us and says, "They must eat a lot of shrimp to get that pink." Then he laughs as if he told a joke.

His steps fly over the boardwalk as we continue walking the loop. He sees a warthog and starts singing a song from the movie The Lion King. Then he stops singing, and his eyes go wide when he spies the zoo's white rhinoceros.

"He's huge. I've never seen a rhinoceros before," he admits. "The white ones are rare," I tell him as I read the plaque. He just nods at my words, not taking his eyes off the beast.

Connor loves the zebras. Anna and I both are snapping photos as we meander along while Connor sprints from one exhibit to the other. "Connor, stand over here so I can get the zebras in the background." Connor faces her with a big grin on his face, and then he's off again, practically running toward the next exhibit.

We spend extra time when we reach the Elephant Plaza. Since the day is hot, the behemoth animals loiter in the shallow pool as their trunks spray water onto their backs.

Next up is the Giraffe Overlook. Connor practically vibrates with excitement as we climb the stairs to a wide desk that puts us at eye level with the lofty animals. Their long necks sway gracefully, and their gentle eyes follow us around.

Connor erupts with an excited giggle as one of the creatures reaches in and nibbles the twig he holds out to it. "Did you see? Did you see the giraffe eat it right out of my hand?" he asks, his voice high-pitched with joy.

Anna and I both give him a fond smile as his mother says, "Yes, I snapped a picture," she states, showing him the image on her phone.

"Cool!" Connor declares before bounding off again.

An older couple standing nearby sees Anna taking pictures, "Would you like us to take a picture of your family in front of the giraffes?"

I see Anna's cheeks go pink, but none of us feel the need to correct the woman. Instead, we simply line up in front of the majestic animals, turn, and smile at the lady. I place my hand on Connor's shoulder as the woman takes a couple of photos.

Before we walk down from the platform, I check my phone. I already have half a dozen pictures of my son. Each photo captures a different image of his youthful, wide-eyed wonder. I suspect images of him will soon be filling up my phone, like all the other proud parents I know.

I glance up and see Anna giving me a knowing look. I immediately give her a crooked smile back, forgetting in the moment my harsh animosity toward her.

Connor yells, "Mom! Mom! Look at the tigers!" My eyes follow Anna as she hurries to catch up with our son. I notice how the sunlight brings out the highlights in her chestnut hair. The sway of her hips and her long, shapely legs. I hear her laugh at something Connor says, and the soft chime of her laughter reminds me of how much I enjoyed spending time with her before—

"Dad!" The single word bursts from Connor; it is just one word, but it freezes me in place. I glance up to see Connor gesturing wildly for me to join them. My throat tightens with pent-up emotions. He probably doesn't even realize that's the first time he's ever called me that. It just came tumbling out naturally in his eagerness to get my attention. It's a slip of the tongue for him, but it feels like a dam has broken within me. It releases a flood of emotions that threatens to overflow as I quickly brush the back of my hand over my eyes.

As I approach, I glance over Connor's head and see Anna, suspicious moisture in her eyes. She tries unsuccessfully to blink it away. She gives me a watery smile and just nods. It's a sweet moment of unspoken understanding shared between us. Our son is blissfully oblivious to the emotions swirling around him. He continues to exclaim over the shaggy, powerful beasts pacing back and forth in their large enclosure.

We stop for lunch within the zoo at the Palm Plaza Cafe. After we get our sandwiches, we find a table shaded from the bright sun and sit down. Connor can hardly sit still in his seat as he describes the different animals he's seen so far.

I sit there amidst the sights and sounds of the zoo. The murmur of the crowd of people around us and Connor's animated face as he mimics an elephant lifting his trunk. I realize that I haven't felt this happy, this content in a long time. My eyes go to Connor and the woman sitting beside him. Her chin propped on her hand as she smiles at our son. She reaches out and gently smooths a stray lock from his forehead. I witness the love she feels for him, and something shifts inside me. She's suddenly the same girl I fell for all those years ago.

I have to remind myself of her betrayal. I need to keep that at the forefront. She's a danger to my equilibrium, and I need to keep my distance.

I abruptly stand. "Let me throw these containers away," I say gruffly as I pick them up and find a trash can.

By the time I feel in control and walk back, Connor is up on his feet and practically dragging Anna toward the next exhibit. Luckily, it's another large cat breed, a shadow of jaguars. Connor immediately falls silent as he studies them. They flick their tails lazily back and forth, yet their gazes remain alert and intense, betraying them as predators.

I read the plaque, "Shadow of Jaguars. Jaguars are solitary animals and don't usually form groups. They are sometimes called a ‘prowl' or a ‘leap,' but the term ‘shadow' emphasizes their ability to blend into their surroundings."

I turn to look at my son, and he seems fascinated with the large cats, "You know we have a football team here, the Jacksonville Jaguars. We'll have to go to a game sometime."

He blinks up at me then a grin spreads across his face. "Cool." I smile down at him and resist the urge to ruffle his hair.

After snapping more photos with Connor in front of the spotted cats, we continue on our way.

"Dad, what's next?" He asks me.

"River Valley Aviary," as he cocks his head with a confused frown, "Birds," I clarify.

"Oh… neat," then he's running ahead again and urging us to follow him.

"I wish I had his energy," I say ruefully to Anna.

She grins and shakes her head. "If we could only bottle it!" With her eyes on Connor ahead of us, she says, "You know, most of the time, he acts like he's ten going on thirty. I like seeing him being a normal, carefree child again."

Right then, Connor turns back and yells, "I hear them. The birds! Hurry!"