Chapter 19
She came bounding out of the school an hour later, complete with a frown on her face. My heart dropped to my stomach when I realized why she'd be frowning. She didn't pass.
I didn't really let myself think about what would happen if she didn't pass this, because I was so convinced that she would. I never would have thought that she'd fail this exam, but I could tell that she didn't pass it.
She opened the car door, sitting inside and not speaking. Again, another sign that something was wrong. If she had passed, I'm sure she would've been dying to let the news out. Instead she just sat there.
"Gardenia," I sighed, turning over to look at her. I didn't really know how to go about this. I was so sure she'd pass. "What happened?"
She continued to sulk for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh before she suddenly turned her head to face me. A wide grin was on her face now, holding a piece of paper up.
"I passed," she threw the paper at me, and I caught it.
"Fuck, Gardenia, scare the living shit out of me, why don't you? God," I breathed out in relief that she passed, as I thought she would, and I read the piece of paper she threw at me. It was an award, addressed to Gardenia Rose Moore, for officially graduating with a 4.0 GPA. "This is incredible," I grinned reading over the paper. "You did it! I'm so proud of you."
She only smiled at me further, buckling herself in and grabbing the paper when I handed it over to her. She read it, her smile broadening after each word.
"Thank you, again, Harry," I could hear the gratefulness in her tone, and I only shook my head.
"No need to thank me for that, you did it all on your own. It was your own brain and hard work that got you there, not me."
"Your brain and hard work was lots of help though," she concluded. "Anyways, somebody promised me a celebration?"
"You're absolutely correct. How would you like to celebrate?"
I was expecting her to direct me to the bar where I first met her, where we'd both get drunk in order to celebrate her graduation. Instead she led me somewhere unknown. I've never been in this direction, before, but I trusted her to guide us somewhere good, so I didn't question it. We ended up in Lansing, which I learned from her was the capital of the fine state of Michigan. When I pulled into the drive, I noticed a sign that read 'Potter Park Zoo.' I probably should have expected it, because of her love for animals, but it never even crossed my mind.
"Drive faster, grandma, they close soon," she spoke, and I didn't know if I should be more offended that she called me grandma instead of grandpa, or the fact that she was comparing me to the elder.
"The speed limit clearly says 25. Do you want me to get a ticket?"
She sighed, allowing me to stay at the speed I was currently going in, and kept quiet during the rest of the small drive. We parked, and it was 4:30 at this point, and she told me that they closed at six. I figured an hour and a half at the zoo is a pretty good amount of time, but I really had no idea. I haven't been to a zoo since I was a kid.
"I figured you'd be against zoos, since they're kind of cruel, aren't they?" I asked, genuinely curious on her views of the situation.
I paid for our admission into the park, since this is a celebration after all, and Gardenia quietly thanked me before leading the way.
"Some can be, but I think it depends on the zoo. This one only keeps animals when they're injured, or endangered. They save them from the wild, when it's hard for them to survive, and they take care of them here. I think if a zoo is there for the right reasons, and they're doing it for the good of the animals rather than the money they're gaining, then they can be great. Some zoos don't respect that though, and don't care about the animals. It's horrible, if that's the case. But I don't think it is, here."
