Z is for Zebra

Welcome to a tour of my blogs written for the A-Z challenge.

Today is April 30th   and the Zesty   letter Z (zee in the US, zed in the rest of the world)

And it’s over! I’ll miss it. Did the month go quickly for the rest of you?

Wrote this last year when did not enter the challenge. It contains several of my characters from my stories.

***

“I wanna see the zebras,” Merta hollered, pulling on her mother’s hand. Gilda calmly walked behind the pair observing the chattering birds, the children with their parents, and admiring the pretty spring flowers.

First it was boonies now zebras. The girls sure do love animals. I can only  hope they don’t want to take any home, Mamma thought.

Finally they reached the zebra cage. “I have to sit. Here is a bench.” Mamma plumped herself down on the metal seat, angling her head away from the stench of the monkey house beside the zebras’ enclosure.

The twins stared at the striped creatures. The animals stared back. Gilda turned toward her sister. “Merta, why did you insist on visiting the zebras?”

“Because it’s on the other side of the zoo from where we came in. I wanted to see if Mamma would agree.”

Merta’s smug demeanor touched Gilda with fear.

****

Even many years earlier, the zebra site had been a central meeting place.

 “Meet you at the zebra section,” Joey’s contact whispered on the phone.

 “The zoo? You want me to go all the way out to the zoo?”

“Yes it’s safest there. No one will suspect.”

Joey banged the phone down causing his mother to almost wake up from her stupor. She growled and hissed but finally rolled over and returned to her drug induced slumber.

Stomping into his room, Joey threw the rings, watches and transistor radios into his knapsack. Good thing he stole only small sized items otherwise he didn’t know how he would get all the stuff to the fence. He’d give him the whole bag and buy a new one with the proceeds he would receive later at the zoo, at the zebra cage of all things. How do people think up this shit? They would have been safe at Nate’s for that matter. Hmm but then Steve the beat cop sometimes dropped in to the deli to chat with Nate or buy one of his famous pastrami sandwiches for lunch. Maybe Pete had a point. No one could imagine anything nefarious going n at the zoo. Joey chuckled as he realised the word that had popped into his head. His bookie boss liked to think he was a bit of an intellectual and studied the dictionary to “class” up his language. He really suffered from thoughts of grandeur. The guy had used that word just this morning when Joey had come in after collecting the days’ bets.

Okay got all I need now. Sure hope that stupid bus is on time.

 

***

The tall dark man with the attractive blonde woman stood in front of the zebra corral.

  “You dragged me all the way out here just to look at a pair of horses in pajamas? I have some free time today. I thought you would want to do something more interesting,” he said in a bemused tone.

She laughed. “Yes that is what they look like.” He made her laugh even when he was upset “I’ve always been amazed how the stripes are different on every one of them. They simply fascinate me.”

Suddenly a child’s shriek broke out into the crowd. The woman whipped her head around to see what had caused the disturbance. She noticed people crowding around the monkey house along side the zebras and glanced at her lover to see if he had noticed. One of the bystanders said something about a monkey paw and a little girl. When she turned her eyes to her lover she observed his concentrated gaze, with his eyes focused on the primates. In what seemed like minutes, but was only a few seconds, the crowd had calmed down and the child giggled at something her mother said. All seemed well. She thought she heard her companion mutter something, “It’s not her time yet,” but as she was about to ask him what he said, he turned his eyes back to her as calm as the sky. Oh well. She had become accustomed to his little unexplained actions over the time they had spent together. She took his hand, his strong, comfortable, exciting hand. “Come on sweetie. You’re right. This is your day off. Let’s go home.”

 “Whatever you say, my dear.” His eyebrows jiggled in amusement.

 ***

Two years after Joey met his associate at the zebra area, Gene carefully stepped around the debris produced from taking out the trash by the construction workers at the monkey house. Then he positioned himself  beside the man watching the black and white animals. Bruce had agreed to meet him at this spot. Gene sightlessly gazed at the horse like critters. He could hear Bruce breathing and could smell his own nervousness as evidenced by his sweaty palms. Bruce hesitantly brushed his finger tips against Gene’s but Gene did not reciprocate the gesture. He didn’t want his friend to know how anxious he was.

Talk about an out of the way place to meet. It sure was. No one we know will see us here. Gene hated the fact that he and Bruce could not be open about what might turn out to be a great relationship, even though at this point they had not known each other long. They had met at that secret bar the prior week. But he sure did like the man. He was gentle and witty and cute too. Oh well if they had to go all the way to the zoo to meet maybe it will be worth it.

***

The hammering from the construction of the monkey house gave Carole a head ache. She and David visited the zoo at the same time as Gene. Luckily for both they never wandered the same path. They knew each other through the group at the deli but did not associate outside of the restaurant. Carole and David had met in university through a mutual friend.

This was only their third date but Carole knew she would have to make a decision soon on what track their relationship would take. Living at home was becoming more and more unbearable. Her mother’s constant criticism made Carol’s life hell. She had to get out. Somehow. Any way she could.  David struck her as the kind of boy looking for commitment and he might be the solution for her problem. Well it would be a way to get out of the house. Carole smiled and taking the initiative reached out for his hand. “Let’s see what else there is to see here.” David gladly clasped her hand, smiled and looked  at her with hopeful eyes.

By the time they had arrived at the zebra pen, Gene and Bruce were at the other end of the park entwined on the soft spring grass.

 ***

Zeke the zebra said to his buddy Zack the zebra, “I wonder why people always pick our home to make huge decisions about their lives and to resolve their conflicts?”

Zack did not answer the question but said, “Okay now you be white with black stripes and I’ll be black with white stripes.”

***

Zooming in to read your zany last day of challenge musings