Penguin Love || Benedict Cumberbatch

CHAPTER FOUR

          Working at the zoo was so much more than Daisy expected, in a good way. There was a sense of camaraderie among the workers; it was as if they were more than just colleagues. Everyone got on so well, they were more like friends or family. And they all welcomed Daisy so warmly. Not a day went by that she felt uncomfortable. (A lot had to do with not having to interact with animals.) (Thank god.) Daisy was always safely tucked away in the ticket booth with Rubio to keep her company.

     Very soon into her time at the zoo, Daisy began to enjoy her time there. Still, the pay wasn't too great.

     One day, Daisy mentioned it in passing to her mom. Daisy was a college student, and just like any other college student, she was broke. A summer job allowed Daisy to save some money.  But unlike other jobs she'd worked previously, working at the zoo wasn't helping Daisy much.

     "Stop complaining," her mom said. Daisy opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She wasn't complaining. She was just mentioning it. She had friends who had good internships, and got paid more than Daisy did. "The zoo is near bankrupt, I'm surprised George pays you as much as he does."

     "What—" she begun. She heard wrong. She had to have heard wrong. "The zoo is near bankrupt? That can't be right."

     "Some of the benefactors recently died. The money isn't exactly pouring in anymore." Her mother said it so offhandedly, like it wasn't of much importance. Just another part of business. But it was so much more than just a business, Daisy had only just come to realize. 

    "Why did uncle George never mention this?" Daisy sat down on the couch. The weight of the news was heavy on her shoulders. She thought of her new friends, how well they got along, and how happy they were with their jobs. And she thought of her uncle, how proud he was of the zoo. It was always his favorite topic to discuss. For him to lose that, it would be devastating.

   "He's been working really hard to acquire the money needed. Maybe he hopes it'll work out."

   Daisy thought about it, how he had never mentioned it before. She thought about the secret he was keeping, and how hard it must of been for him to do all of the work alone. She wanted to help him get the money the zoo needed. But first, she needed to speak to him.

   The next day, instead of having coffee early in the morning with Ben, Daisy swung by her uncle's office. The door to his office wasn't open, as it usually was. Instead, there was a note taped to the wall that said he'd be back at noon.

   At noon, instead of taking her lunch break, Daisy went back to her uncle's office. This time, he was sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer. She paused to look at him. He stopped his typing, frowned at the screen, and let out a small sigh. Sensing she had seen too much, Daisy stepped forward.

   "Knock, knock," she said.

   Her uncle looked up. His face broke into a smile. "Ah, Daisy! My favorite niece, why don't you sit down?" Daisy sat across from him. "What brings you here?"

   "Mom mentioned something interesting to me last night," she began. She looked behind him, at the posters of animals that decorated his walls. "The zoo is near bankrupt."

   Immediately, his face fell.  "She mentioned that, did she?" Dropping his head, he looked at the pen he fiddled with in his hands.

   "Yes," Daisy said, her mouth turning dry. "She did."

   "I was going to inform you and the others soon," he told her gently. He sighed. "Most already know that our two most helpful benefactors passed away. It doesn't bode well for our future."