Smart Mouth

(btw, that’s a Slow Loris, thought you might like to visualize it for when I talk about it later.)

It was my second Monday at the zoo and I was on my own today, thrown to the wolves.  Hope you memorized that 400 page manual Melisa, because you are ON! YOUR! OWN!

So, it was the end of the day, and I was slowly making my way through the tropics exhibit.   I was standing staring at the Red Panda when a little girl ran by saying, “Let’s go!!!” to no one in particular.  I back-tracked a little and saw no families, so I quickly turned around and followed her.  The next part of the trail is a looooooong tunnel that used to house nocturnal animals, but now is being renovated for a reptile exhibit.  There are only three animals left in there, and then after that long tunnel, the trail turns and goes a little while before it moves into a new part of the tropics trail where you have to go through a bamboo curtain and a door.

The little girl, who was 2ish, stopped at those three animals in the tunnel and walked right up to two different families, talking to them, like she was a part of each family.  I asked both families if she belonged to them, and they both said no and by then the tiny girl had taken off and was on her way to the bamboo curtain.

So, I walked up to her….

Me – Where are your mommy and daddy?

Lil Girl – No!

Me – Want to go find your mommy and daddy?

Lil Girl – No!

Now…. we are NOT allowed to touch children, even if they are lost and crying which I think SUCKS HARD, but too many lawsuits and liabilites…. so while I am asking her this stuff she is trying to get around me and I am shuffling back and forth trying to block her.

Me – I bet your mommy and daddy are worried! 

LG – NO!

Me – We should find them!

LG – My friends??

Me – Whatever!  Let’s go find them!

LG – NO!

I am like, shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, what am I going to do NOW?  I did NOT want to use my radio yet and then have the parents walk around the corner and I look like an ass cheese.

Me – Hey!  Wanna RACE to mommy and daddy???

LG – YES!!

So, off she goes!  And Jebus… you would think a 2ish girl would be slow, but oh my Lady Gaga, she was FAAAAST!  In my defense, it was the end of the day and I was tired. 

We passed the two families again, and they were all cheering me on and thanking me for doing what I was doing.  That was nice.  Going back through the tunnel I also passed the same animal keeper that I passed when I was chasing the LG up the tunnel.  He looked at me like I had two heads and I said, Motherless child on the move!  He said, Say no more! haha

So, finally…. LG runs up to a family and starts talking to them.  I was like, I have seen THIS before, so I asked them if she belonged to them and the mom was all, YEAH?  Like, in a wanna make something of it?!?! kinda way. 

Me – She was all the way past the loooooooong tunnel!

crickets…… crickets……

Me – PAST THE Slow Loris!  And almost to the 2nd part of the tropics!!!!

crickets…… crickets…….

Me – Almost to the bamboo curtain!!!!

Mom – Oooookay.

So, I realized I wasn’t gonna get a thank you, so I just said bye to LG and walked away.  My fellow volunteer friend Judy said, well, sweetie, I bet the mom didn’t even know where the Slow Loris was. 

I said, SHE’S A SLOW LORIS!  GAH!

But then, after I was past the bamboo curtain and almost out of the tropics the Dad came running up to us.  Turns out they really DIDN’T know where the Slow Loris OR the bamboo curtain was and by the time they got that far they were horrified LG got that far away from them.  So, he caught up with us to tell me thank you!

Woot!

Now, let’s just hope SOMEONE tells Inappropriate Grandma of my good deed (send mind waves to Judy everyone!) so she will like me more.  Although, she did give me a grandma circle rub pat thing on my back today and told me I was doing a great job!

So, yah.  It was a good day.