The Big Bang

Corduroy or Buddy

I was walking through the library over the weekend, nose in a book, walking between the shelves, when all of a sudden I bump into someone. 

"Oh. I'm so sorry" I stammer.   

"I guess you just can't stop running into me, can you?" said a familiar voice. 

I look up to see my brick wall from the other day and my face starts to flush. I try to cover my face with my hair as I reach to pull at an itchy eyelash. 

"Sorry about that"

"Hey. No problem. That means I finally get a chance to ask your name." 

He leans back against the bookshelf and runs his hand in his hair. I can't help but stare, but I look away quickly, my face burning. I was surprised he was even asking my name. 

"Oh. Um. I'm Soph- hold on a second. Sorry." My phone started to explode in my pocket. 

"Oh. Hi Dex... What?... Ok. Sorry. I lost track of time. I'll be there in 5." I hang up and turn back to the guy. "I'm sorry but I really need to go." I turn to go the other way. 

He called after me, "I am still waiting on that name." 

I turn back around. "Sophie. Sophie Foster." 

"Crash into you later than Foster." 

I can't help but smile as I run out of the library. only when I was getting into the parking lot did I realize that I never got his name. 

***

"Hey. I'm sorry I'm late." I say as I walk into Fitz and Dex's apartment. 

"No problem. I thought that you might have forgotten the ice cream as well so I got some." Dex said. 

I groan as I drag my hand down my face. "How could I forget the most fundamental part?" 

Today was our weekly face time with our parents. Since Dex and I were cousins, we did it together as a big family check-in. Afterward, Fitz and Biana come over and we have our movie night. I still call my parents every night, but this is a fun tradition that we have. 

"Do you think it'll be at the pharmacy or the farm?" Dex asks.

"I'm guessing the farm. Grady and Edaline got a new animal in that they want to show me." 

Dex's dad owns a pharmacy while my parents run a veterinarian rehabilitation center/farm basically in my front yard. 

The screen started to beep, as we rushed to the couch, we connected. All of a sudden three faces appeared on the screen. "Hi" we all shouted at the same time.

"Where's mom?" asked Dex. 

"Trying to wrangle the triplets. I hope that they won't try to let Verdi out of her cage." His dad said. 

"You owe me five bucks," I said to Dex as I held out my hand expectantly. 

"yeah right. We never agreed on that." 

"too bad, so sad." 

"Hey!" 

All of our parents laughed. 

"Sooo... who's the new guy?" I ask my mom and dad. 

"Just another brown bear. Verdi will be happy for the company. As long as she doesn't try to eat him too." Grady said. 

"She would eat one of her own" Kelser (Dex's dad) asked. 

"Honestly, if she comes by any type of meat nowadays, living or not, she will try to eat it," Edaline said chuckling. 

Verdi is one of our permanent residents. She has a type of digestion problem where she can't eat meat, fish or not, and so she is in big denial about that. She loves meat and she would eat all the meat in the world, even if it did end up killing her. Oh, and I forgot to mention. We treat many exotic and endangered animals. 

"What's his name?" Dex asked. 

"We were deciding between Buddy or Corduroy." Said Grady. 

"I'm leaning towards Corduroy," said Edaline and I. 

"But Buddy is more of his personality." 

"They are both cute names," said Dex's mom as she stepped into the picture. 

"Him Mom. How are the triplets doing?" 

"Ugh. Exhausted. I left Bex, Lex, and Rex by the elephants. I figured if any of your animals could trach them discipline, it would be them."  

Grady chuckled, "I wouldn't be too sure of that. The calf likes to get into a lot of trouble."

"Oh. God. I better go check on them then," said Kesler, "By Dex. talk to you later." 

"Bye, dad." 

" Oh god! I forgot that I had some cookies in the oven." My mom exclaimed. "Bye Sophie, love you" 

"I would say I love you too but you made cookies without me! Don't you dare say that you made Mallowmelt."

"Sorry kiddo. But she did. And I need to go now so I can eat all of them while they are fresh, and warm, and gooey, and delicious, and-" 

"Okay just stop it. You don't need to rub it into our faces." I grumbled.

Kesler sat there with a wicked look on his face. "I better get in on some of this action. To the kitchen!" He yelled as he ran towards my house.

"Bye guys. Love you, Sophie. Call me later." 

"Will do. Love you too. And sent me pictures of Corduroy." 

"It's Buddy" my dad yelled as the screen went black. 

Dex and I looked at each other, but we couldn't contain our laughs anymore. Our families were ridiculous.