Daddy Issues

24 - Sweet as honey

'If you could be an animal, what animal would you want to be?'

I chuckle.

'What an excellent question, Dan.'

I take a look at the lions in front of us. They're fierce, of course, and beautiful. But I think the males just lie around all day while the females take care of everything so that's out of the question.

'I think I'd like to be some sort of bird,' I answer. 'So you can just go anywhere you want without any concerns.'

'It would be pretty cool to be able to fly,' Dan agrees. 'What kind of bird would you want to be?'

'Oh, I don't know,' I say, leaning on the little fence before me. 'A cool one? Like an eagle or an owl. Or maybe a tucan.'

'A tucan,' Dan chuckles.

'Yeah, you know, with the cool beaks and everything.'

'I know. You'd make a fine tucan.'

'What about you?'

'Hmm,' he says, taking a contemplative look at the lions as he leans on the fence beside me. 'That's difficult.'

'It was your question.'

'I know, but still...'

I laugh when I see the thoughts cross through his mind. Apparently, he takes which animal he'd like to be very serious.

'How 'bout a bear?' I suggest.

'A bear?' he repeats, thinking it over. 'Because I'm so big and powerful and strong?'

I snort when he raises himself up to his full length and tries to conjure up an intimidating look on his face.

'I was thinking more like a teddy bear. Because you're so sweet and protective and a good hugger.'

I shut my mouth quickly. Why did I say that? It's a bit much, isn't it? It just came out before I could help myself.

Dan turns to his side to look at me, but I keep my eyes on the lions. I hope my face doesn't turn red, but I can always blame it on the heat. Though I'm not looking at him, I can still see the smile on his face.

'Maybe you should be a bee. Because you're being sweet as honey today.'

'Shut up,' I tell him. 'Don't get used to it, I'm just thankful for last night. It will wear off.'

'Then you'll go back to being a wasp. Or a mosquito. Trying to sting me all the time.'

'I'm not a mosquito,' I say, offended.

Dan laughs loudly and turns away from the lions to walk to the next enclosure.

'They can fly too,' he says as I walk up beside him. 'Might be fun. You just get to fly around and annoy people all day.'

'Maybe you're a mosquito,' I say, affronted. 'You can be pretty annoying.'

'You just said I was so sweet.'

'Well, you ruined it. So, which animal do you choose?'

'I'll take the bear. I like bears. Though you should probably know, they're not as cuddly as they look. You know, if you ever see one in the wild.'

'Thanks for the warning, I'll be sure to keep my distance from you. Oh look, the giraffes! Your favorite, right?'

He grins at my obvious change of subject, but follows my gaze to look at the majestic giraffes. I finally dare to take a quick look at his face when he's looking the other way.