May 4th (chapter 5 part 2)

By the time David got back into bed, it was six o clock. He felt no shame now in having that meeting without Eoin on the previous Friday. He didn’t want to waste any more energy or time in Eoin. He was a sex addict, in Davids eyes. The alarm began to beep at eight. David instinctively hit what he thought to be the snooze button, but actually it was the ‘stop’ button.

When his phone began to ring, he answered it, gruffly saying, ‘what do you want now you insensitive bastard?’

‘What?’ Jessica asked, confused.

David sat bolt upright. ‘Sorry,’ he began to apologise, ‘I thought you were Eoin again!’

‘What…who…again…?’ Jessica replied befuddled.

David looked at the clock…it was 9:10. ‘Shit!’ he said, ‘I slept in!’

‘What do you mean when you say, Eoin…again?’ the sweetest voice he had ever heard asked him.

‘It’s a long story!’ David confessed. ‘Please tell me you still want to go to the zoo!’ he pleaded, one leg in his best jeans.

‘Of course, I do!’ Jessica laughed. ‘Do you?’

‘I’m currently getting dressed as we speak!’ he reassured her. ‘I’ll be at yours in ten!’

‘Ok,’ Jessica said dubiously. ‘I’ll be waiting for you!’

‘And don’t worry,’ David added, ‘I have the protection in my hand!’

Jessica’s laugh was like a thousand fireflies glistening in the distance. It reassured David that he hadn’t messed things up when he answered the phone grumpily.

David, unable to have the time to make a run to the shop, come home, and have a picnic, decided he’d go to the garage on his way to Jessica’s and buy three different types of rolls. He decided egg, ham, and cheese would cover all bases. He wasn’t sure what she liked in the line of soft drinks either, so he got a Fanta, Sprite, and two Coke from the shopkeeper, stuffing them in his backpack as he was paying. ‘Thank you!’ he shouted over his shoulder as he high tailed it out of there and back to the car.

True to form, Jessica was waiting at the door for him once more. He was going to have to ask her about her living situation, he decided, but not at that moment in time. First, he had to explain why he answered the phone as he did, and why he was late.

Just as before, when Jessica saw his car, after he rolled down the window and said, ‘hello Jessica…from the bar!’ she sported a massive smile, and, this time, she planted her lips on his, her hand caressing his cheek. When they finally broke apart, she insisted he tell her what happened last night with Eoin. With his story told, she admitted that she would have answered the phone like that too. He apologised profusely, an apology she didn’t need, but took anyway.

It took them forty minutes to get to the zoo, but they weren’t the only ones who decided that it was a good day to go! They stood in line, hand in hand, for twenty minutes before gaining entry. Once they received their maps, the decision was to go and visit the tapir first. ‘They’re my favourite animal in here!’ Jessica confessed, and they were situated not far from the gate.

As David had never even seen a tapir, or known what it was before, he was pleasantly surprised when one was at the wire mesh keeping them in their area. Jessica, being the daredevil David thought her to be, put her friekeshly small hand into the gap in the mesh, and petted it. She encouraged David to do the same. ‘They’re herbivores!’ she reassured him, so he put his hand where Jessica had hers, her hand moving towards its head. The animal, who seemed very friendly, began to lick her fingers. She instinctively grabbed Davids, wishing him to have the same experience of their smooth tongue and flat, molar-like teeth. When he felt them, he began to giggle as the funny looking ant eaters tickled the palm of his hand. After he felt their teeth, flat and large, against his skin, he looked at Jessica, who was staring back at him, and really enjoyed the experience. Jessica found a tuft of grass on their side of the pen, and offered it to the friendly giant, after giving David half. He was astounded in the way it received the grass. It practically licked it out of Davids hand.

‘My mother taught me all about tapirs,’ Jessica smiled. ‘She saw how much I liked them, I even asked Santa for one, so she researched them, and taught me to do this each and every time we came here!’

David could see Jessicas eyes began to tear up. ‘She sounds special, your mom!’

‘That she was! That she was!’

With the grass gone, David asked Jessica, ‘where to next?’

‘Well, we have two options,’ she started, ‘we could either go around in a circle so we get to see everything, or we could pick five animals each and just visit them!’ She began to shield the sun from her eyes with her hand.

David, being ever the gentleman, took his sunglasses from where they clipped into the top of his t-shirt, and handed them to her. She refused at first, so he turned them upside down, and put them on her anyhow! Jessica’s laugh was infectious, and laugh she did... all day long!

After they had completed the circle, both tired, but happy, they decided to see each and every animal possible, they made their way back to the car. They happened to pass through the gift shop as they left, David buying two tapir soft toys as a physical memory of the day. Jessica, who couldn’t thank David enough, looked at his backpack with a raised brow. It was the first time she had really noticed it all day.

‘We didn’t have our picnic!’ she said, a hand to her mouth.

David heard her stomach rumbling, as was his, so they returned towards the car.  Jessica, who was carrying purell, doused both of their hands in it, and they picked a nice spot in the Phoenix Park for their picnic. It was away from traffic, and had no passers-by. They decided between them that the grass would suffice as a rug, but first made sure there weren’t any animal droppings there.

He looked at his watch as she reached into his bag, emptying the goods he had brought. It was only half past two, so he didn’t feel too bad, after having the best date of his life, but forgetting to feed her. As each roll was already cut in half, and both loved each of the choices, they decided to eat half of each. They each had a warm Coke, David taking the Fanta, Jessica, the Sprite.

When they were finished, they lay on the grass and talked about the world and its mother. They kissed openly, and Davids's feelings grew. After the sun passed their little oasis of heaven, they went back to the car, and drove home. David felt as though he had known Jessica for years, not days! He offered to take her to a pub on the way home, but she reluctantly declined his offer. ‘I’d much prefer a take away in yours!’ she confessed.

That night seemed as natural as could be. They each were in tune to the others rhythm, and, afterwards, David could finally tell Eoin that Mr Twinkie had sailed his maiden voyage. David, never felt that good after sex before, Jessica neither. David was just pleased he had protection for their amorous activity as he did their day out.

David didn’t sleep until Jessica, whose head was on the pillow he had always imagined his wife’s to be, closed her eyes. He smiled as he caressed her beautiful skin, and fell asleep himself!