Sad Boy

Turkey Sandwiches and Bunnies

Animals were so much easier to deal with than people.
This is the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw someone standing at the mouth of the bear pen, angrily ripping parts of bread off of a turkey sandwich and chucking it downwards where the bears were, doing exactly what all the signs said not to. I glanced around the area. No security guards or that many people. It was a Tuesday anyway. It was also 9am in the morning. Though this was ridiculous. There were literally ten signs within a 5 feet radius and yet here this stupid human was, doing the complete opposite of what they all said. I could not believe it. I mean, it was understandable when kids did it, but this was a fully grown man-at least I think he was. He looked a little younger than me. Probably in college or something. Old enough to read signs with large red X's on them. The scene playing out in front of me was honestly a bit perplexing. I mean, what in the world was he doing? Did he think that throwing bread at bears was the best way to cope with whatever he was feeling? I'm sure he did at the moment. With a sigh, I decided it was time to put an end to this. I walked up to the boy or man and grabbed the arm that he was about to use to chuck another piece of bread. His body shook and he whipped his head around to stare at me in shock, as if I had just snapped him out of a trance. "Can you read or not?" I said in an annoyed tone, releasing his arm to gesture at all the signs. He blinked and looked at his own hands for a moment before slowly lowering them. "I...I'm sorry." He muttered, still seeming a bit out of it. His voice sounded thick, as if he were talking to me from the other side of a wall. My eyes flickered from the torn up sandwich to his face. He had pale white skin and jet black hair that was parted at his forehead. Multiple black piercings adorned each ear. What shocked me the most were his eyes. They were so dark and sad. I don't think I've seen anything like it in my lifetime. It shook me to my core and made me hesitate in approaching him.
This guy was definitely having a bad day.
He was very tall and thin. I didn't notice until I was standing closer to him. My height could barely reach his chin. He wore a tan jacket with a few undid straps and buttons and blue jeans. He pulled it off in a cool yet rugged way. His face was oval shaped and his jaw was pretty sharp. Cute.  He looked like a fairly young Asian or whatever guy to me. I stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets. "If you're having a bad morning start, I'd suggest you deal with it anywhere else that isn't a zoo. This is a place where people come to be happy, not to vent." I said to him in my usual blunt way. He snapped his head towards me, blinking uncontrollably, surprise on his features. He blinked a lot. "Is it that obvious?" He asked me  almost shyly.
"Well, you do look like Santa just shitted on your Christmas tree, so yeah." I suddenly remembered all the times my mom scolded me for my vulgar way of speaking. There were times I wondered if I should actually stop, but then again, I couldn't help myself. He winced as soon as I got the words out and I almost felt bad. He was kind of like a puppy. Which was new, because most people looked like monkeys in my eyes when I first met them. "Oh...I must seem pathetic, huh?" He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. I didn't hesitate in answering.
"Yeah, most definitely. But we're all a little pathetic once in awhile, so don't be too embarrassed. Just don't take it out on the bears. And turkey sandwiches." I lightly patted his shoulder and turned around, ready to continue my daily duties. Until he called out to me, "T-Then can you show me where the bunnies are?." I stopped in my tracks. I turned around. His eyes immediately averted to the ground as soon as I did. "Just follow the signs. You can read, right?" I said to him. He quickly shook his head, stepping forward. "I get lost easily! I'll be wandering for hours if you don't help me." He muttered that last part while looking downward. I placed a hand on my hip. Was this guy being serious right now? I glanced at my wristwatch. Well, I guess I had some time before I had to go check on the cubs. "Fine. Follow me." I said, already walking. I could hear him running a bit to catch up to me until he was at my side. I heard him toss his sandwich into a nearby bin.
"So...what do you do here? I doubt you're a zookeeper, cause you aren't wearing the uniform." He spoke, striking up conversation. Of course. I let out a deep breath, causing cold air to come out of my mouth. It was a chilly morning. "A Zoologist. I don't need to wear the uniform. It's ugly anyway." I said bluntly. They couldn't make me wear it even if they wanted to. "Zoologist? Does that mean you're like a vet here?" Questions, questions. This guy didn't seem to like silence. I answered anyway. "Kind of. Though I help around with everything, so I guess you could say I'm half Zoologist, half Zookeeper." At least that's what my coworkers called me. They weren't wrong.
"That's pretty cool. I've always liked animals, but they never like me back." I use to have the exact opposite problem. I never liked animals before, though they always seemed to like me. I glanced  over at him. My breath came to a halt  when I saw his face. Briefly, I wondered how a person could live with such sad eyes.
"You did just throw a bunch of bread pieces at grizzly bears. I wouldn't like you either." I said to him, tearing my gaze away. He laughed lightly. "Yeah, I know. I shouldn't have done that. Now someone has to go and clean it all up." I nodded. Johnny would probably be tasked with the job, because he was usually in charge of the bears. He'd be complaining nonstop later on. "Aren't you curious, though? About why I did that?" He asked, genuinely curious. I just shrugged my shoulders in a lazy motion. "Everyone has their bad days. Or mornings. I don't need to know anymore than that." I also didn't care enough to ask. Though that would sound a lot meaner.
"Oh! Owls!" He suddenly gasped, running over to the cages. I casually followed. He watched with excitement and admiration. "I love owls. Their my second favorite animal, the first being bunnies, of course." He said, tapping the cage with his finger. His favorite animals were the ones I liked the least. What a coincidence. "Owls are creepy. I hate it when they do that thing with their heads." I said in distaste. Even after I became a Zoologist, I still didn't like them. I probably disliked them even more now. "What? No way. Their amazing. You just need to open your mind a little. There aren't a lot of animals that can turn their head almost 360 degrees." He defended. He had a point, but I still wasn't crazy about them. "What's your favorite animal?" He asked me, still looking at the owls that were half asleep. One of them was facing away from us but its head was turned to stare at us. Ugh. I looked away. "Zebras. Most definitely." I replied. He looked at me strangely. "Zebras? Of all animals? Why?" Maybe because they weren't creepy like owls, I almost blurted. I held myself back. "Their just cool to look at. Especially their stripes."
Zebras weren't cute, but they were pretty cool. They would be my favorite animal until one of them physically murdered me. Which I hoped would never happen. He stepped away from the cage. "Alright then. Let's continue." We returned to the pathway and kept on going. "If you're a Zoologist, you must have more than one favorite animal. Tell me you're top five." He said in an almost daring way. This guy really didn't know how to shut up. I listed them anyway. "Zebra, penguin, parrot, snake, and beluga whale." He looked at me incredulously. "You like snakes and parrots? Wow, that's a first. Weirdo." That made me scoff. "You're the weird one. Owl lover." He went silent for a moment. "Wait, what's a beluga whale?" He asked in confusion. It was my turn to look at him incredulously. "You don't know what a beluga whale is? What have you been doing your entire life?" If we had one here, I'd show him right now. Sadly we did not. This zoo didn't have many aquatic animals. "Let me look it up on my phone real quick." He said, pausing to pull his phone out. I smacked his shoulder before he could do so. "No! You have to see it in person first!" I told him in a warning tone. He rose a brow. "Huh? Why?" I sighed in disappointment as if I were explaining what a cookie was to someone who had never tried one before. "If you see it on your phone first, than it ruins the moment and makes it less special when you actually see it in real life. It's like when you meet someone online whose face you haven't seen yet. If you find out everything about them online before the first date even happens, then it makes it less interesting. See?" I explained in detail. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. "But what if I never do see one in real life?" He questioned. I shrugged my shoulders. "Then beluga whales will remain a mystery to you. Though you can't predict that you'll never see one. Seaworld isn't that far away from here, anyway." I said. We walked up a steeper hill. On top of that, the rabbit cages appeared. My companion visibly brightened and rushed over. "Aw, their so cute!" He gushed out. I quietly joined his side but not in his excitement. Bunnies were okay. They weren't as cute as penguins, I thought to myself. I clapped my hands. "Well, I've done my part, so I wish you a great day. Remember not to eat bread near the bear pen again." I announced, backing away slowly. He called out to me before I could get any further. "Wait! What's your name?" He asked me.
"Maud." I answered simply, even though there probably wasn't any reason for him to know. I doubt we'd ever run into each other again. He grinned, facing me. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Noel. And thanks for bringing me all the way here." I awkwardly smiled back. "It was nothing. Hope you can find your way back though." I waved and turned around, making my way down the path we came.
Later on that day, I couldn't help but laugh as I overhead Johnny complaining about people being stupid and reckless enough to throw food into the bear pen.