The Sloth Zone, page 13
Chapter 16
The week flew by, and on Saturday morning, Gemma was shocked when Tim announced with a gleeful grin that he was taking them to Fresno for the day. They’d gotten an extra early start on the road, and it was nearing seven forty-five in the morning.
“And what are we going to find in Fresno this weekend?” She’d only ever passed through the city as a passenger at the airport. There hadn’t really been any reason to explore the city. Until now.
“There are two things—sloths and more sloths.” Tim glanced at her, and then his body shook with laughter. “You look so confused.”
“Where are we going to find sloths in Fresno?”
As the car turned the corner, a sign welcomed them to the Fresno Zoo. Everything suddenly clicked.
“Oh, of course! The zoo!”
They shared a laugh.
A few minutes later, Tim laced his fingers through hers and they strolled up to the ticket booth.
Leaning casually against the window, Tim said, “Hello. We’re here to check in for the . . .” He lowered his voice so she couldn’t hear.
“Got it. What’s the last name?”
“Lyons. Party of two.”
The worker in the booth pulled up the reservation and printed the tickets. “Here you go. Just wear the badge on the outside of your shirt. Your guide this morning is Judy.”
“Thanks,” he said.
Peeling the backing off the sticker, Gemma stuck it onto her blue jumper. After having their tickets scanned, they lingered near the entrance. She could smell the strong scent of something fishy and heard the barking of a group of excited, playful sea lions.
She tugged on Tim’s hand. “Can we start with the sea lions?”
“After the behind-the-scenes tour, yes.”
Her heart pounded wildly. He had done it again. “Tim, you didn’t. You’ve already spoiled me to death.”
“I did. The best way to see the zoo when we’re on a tight schedule is with a tour. Plus, we won’t have to deal with all the families that’ll bombard the place once it opens. It is Saturday. The zoo is like the number-one place families with overly-energetic kids go.”
He had valid points. Rising up onto her toes, she leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
He sighed contentedly and rubbed the spot she’d just kissed. “A guy could get used to this.”
As they looked over a map of the zoo, Gemma made mental notes of everything she wanted to circle back to once their time with the tour guide was over—elephants, sea lions, giraffes, kangaroos, and of course, the sloth.
A woman in her mid-forties wearing a khaki-colored jacket, trousers, and button-up shirt approached. “Hi, guys. I’m Judy. You two must be my visitors this morning. If you follow me over to the golf cart, I’ll take you around back to a couple places the public doesn’t normally get to see. Since the sea lions are barking up a storm, we’ll start with them.”
“Is it just the two of us?” Gemma glanced around her, but there was no one else.
“It’s weird; normally Saturdays have full groups, but today we don’t.” Judy shrugged. “It just must be your lucky day.”
“Brilliant.” Gemma grinned.
Looking at Tim, he didn’t appear at all surprised by Judy’s words. She wondered if he’d somehow arranged the tour this way, or if it really was by fate’s own design that they were alone. Either way, she didn’t question it and happily scooted in close to Tim on the back of the golf cart.
* * *
Over the course of the morning, Gemma and Tim tossed fish to the herd of greedy sea lions, looked in at the baby tiger cubs inside the zoo’s nursery, and fed heads of lettuce to the Masai giraffes.
Inside the tropical forest enclosure, the humidity of the air rose sharply. The lens on her mobile’s camera fogged up. It was like walking into a sauna room. Judy took them to the off-exhibit area, and Gemma was surprised to see that it was just as large as the public viewing area.
“We have two-toed sloths here at the zoo. This enclosure is home to a fella named Roger. He’s about four years old.”
Tim rubbed his hands together. “I’m dying to meet him.”
Judy unlocked the enclosure and signaled for them to follow her in quickly. “I don’t blame you; he’s a special animal.”
The room was filled with a waterfall and about ten different branches of varying heights. Birds and monkeys chirped inside the neighboring enclosures. Roger was easy to spot, hanging upside down near the far side of the room. Two legs hung onto different branches and his arms hugged a third. His long claws reminded Gemma of a dinosaur’s.
“I thought I’d have you guys feed Roger, then have you help me with his training session.” Judy brought out a cup and removed its top. The noise seemed to wake up Roger, who opened his eyes and studied them quizzically upside down. “They have nutrient-poor diets, but today he’ll be getting some fruits, veggies, and hard-boiled eggs.”
“I was about to ask what you used to supplement their protein.” Tim explained that he had experience working with rehabilitating wild sloths, and they also used eggs in Costa Rica.
“It seems a little unusual to feed them eggs. I thought they only eat leaves,” Gemma said.
Judy fed Roger a few berries. “Sloths will eat anything they find in the wild. If they find a bird’s nest, they will absolutely take advantage of it and eat the eggs. They’re a lot smarter than people give them credit for.”
Gemma nodded in understanding.
“Who wants to feed Roger first?”
Tim wasn’t shy about stepping forward. With confidence, he approached the sloth and placed a few nuts inside his mouth. His big expressive eyes reminded Gemma of a cartoon animal.
“May I touch him?” Tim asked.
“Knock yourself out.”
He scratched the top of Roger’s head with two fingers. “You like that, big guy, don’t you.”
When it was Gemma’s turn, she offered the sloth some berries. As she touched his fur, she inhaled sharply. “It’s like a hairbrush.”
Tim laughed. “Yup, it’s not soft. If it were, his fur wouldn’t be water repellent.”
Gemma’s pulse increased as she realized that Roger had stopped moving. A hint of fear swelled in her chest. “Is he okay? Did I do something wrong?”
Judy took a couple steps closer. “Oh, Roger’s fine. He just fell asleep.”
“In the middle of eating?”
“Yeah, it happens all the time. He’ll wake up in a couple minutes.”
“Oh, is that all.” She let out a sigh of relief. It was reassuring to know she hadn’t done anything wrong with the sloth.
“Come on, I’ll take you two over to see Esmeralda, our female sloth. She’s out on exhibit right now.”
“Is there a reason they’re not together?”
Judy smiled. “She’s recently become a mom. We wanted her and the baby to settle in before we let old Roger out.”
Inside a room that resembled a rainforest, Judy pointed to her lips, then to a sloth a little smaller than Roger who was asleep sitting on a branch like a koala bear. Looking closely, Gemma could make out the zoo’s newest addition. Esmerelda’s bundle of joy rested its little head against her chest, a patch of fuzzy hair poking up. Slipping out her mobile phone, she took a few photos, then they left the room.
“The baby is adorable. Do they always stay attached to the mom like koalas?” she asked.
Judy explained that mum and baby usually stayed attached until the little one was strong enough to swing from the branches of the trees. “On average in the wild, it takes up to about nine months, but in captivity, it’s a little faster. We have a live feed you can follow online for updates too.”
Tim stroked his jaw. “I know what I’ll be streaming on my classroom’s computer during my downtime.”
After they asked a couple more questions about the sloths, Judy dropped them back at the zoo’s entrance and bid them farewell.
“That was amazing. I’ll never want to pass on a behind-the-scenes experience again. If you want to see the zoo, that’s definitely the way to do it.” Gemma wrapped her arms around Tim and hugged him tightly. “I had so much fun. Thank you for spoiling me.”
He kissed the top of her head. “The day is just getting started. I have one more surprise up my sleeve for you today.” His gaze traveled to a few families with strollers lined up outside the front gate, chatting excitedly. “But first, we should try and squeeze in a quick peek at the animals you want to see before the chaos starts.”
“Let’s do the elephants and kangaroos, then I’ll be good.”
* * *
Tim’s second surprise also shocked her system. Arriving at the stadium where the Fresno Flying Squirrels minor league baseball team played, Gemma spied a queue several hundred people long snaking around the side of the facility.
Adults and children alike chatted animatedly. Many of them wore neon-green shirts and yellow hats.
Gemma’s eyes traveled to the man standing closest to the car, talking on his mobile. “Wait, the logo on the man’s shirt. It looks exactly like the Sloths’ logo.” Tim turned off the ignition and waited. She glanced at the shirt again, then back to him. “It is the same. It says Scottsdale Sloths. Why would the Sloths be in Fresno? Isn’t Scottsdale in Arizona?”
“Surprise! The Sloths are on a national tour holding open auditions for the team.”
Gemma was slow on the uptake. “So you brought us here to watch the Sloths’ tryouts?”
“Yes!” Tim’s enthusiasm hit a twenty out of ten. “I’m so excited for you to see it all. It’ll be just as much fun as Cupid’s Arrow. There are three rounds before prospective players even get to show off their baseball skills. First, the Sloths ask to see someone’s dancing ability, then it’s all about karaoke, and finally, if a player does well enough to make it to round three, they progress to the trick showcase.”
“And what does the trick round entail?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He winked.
Stepping out of the car, Gemma looked again at the line in dismay. They might have to wait several hours before they’d make it inside. Her shoulders hunched. “Where does the end of the line even begin? It looks almost as long as the Wimbledon ticket queue.”
“Lines are for the rookies. I’m a former player. I have connections.”
They sauntered right up to the front entrance, where Tim had a short conversation with the security team, then was let inside. He gestured for them to turn right and walk down toward the field.
“What time do the main gates open to the public?” Gemma asked.
“At ten.”
“And how long will the auditions run?”
“Until six.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Is that enough time to see all the prospective players?”
“I hope so.” Tim scratched his forehead. “My friends were telling me that this is the first year the Sloths asked people to register online. Theoretically, all the basic info should be in the system. Each person auditioning has a ninety-second limit to show the three judges what they’re made of. Then they’re scored from one to ten. The people with the highest scores at the end of two rounds move on to the final round.”
“I think I get it.” Gemma pecked him on the cheek. “And at least I’ll have my own resident expert by my side to break things down for me.”
“Definitely.” He puffed out his chest. “Let’s see if we can grab seats near the front before the gates open.”
Gemma shaded her eyes as they walked out toward the pristine emerald-green field to the lowest level. Tents had been erected with stages out front in three different areas of the field. White banners labeled each tent. There was one for registration, one for costume pickup, two for dancing, and two for singing.
“Timmy!” shouted two men in green shirts and white baseball trousers as they vaulted over the barrier between the field and the spectator area. Gemma stepped to the side as they clapped him on the back and mobbed him in excitement.
“The Flaming Bat is back in the house! Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” one of the players asked. “We could’ve had a mini team reunion at dinner last night.”
“Because, Brett . . .Timmy has an actual job.”
“I knew that!”
“Pfff, I doubt that.”
“Guys!” Tim exclaimed. “There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
They froze, released him, and both turned to stare at Gemma. She held up her hand. “Hello.”
Both the guys immediately cleared their throats, their expressions sheepish.
“Hi, er . . . sorry, we didn’t see you there,” the taller of the two apologized. He stood about six feet tall, and had ash-blond hair and a beard.
“Yeah, we’re really sorry. Normally we’re better behaved than this.” The second guy had a shaved head and a scraggly red beard. He was about five-foot-eight, with a dad bod.
Tim shrugged. “Guys, this is Gemma. Gemma, meet Joe and Brett.”
“It’s nice to meet you blokes.”
“Likewise,” said Brett, the redhead. They all shook hands.
Joe cleared his throat. “We’ll catch up with you later.”
The guys hopped back over the fence, leaving Tim and Gemma alone.
“They’re nice,” she managed.
“I swear, Brett and Joe normally have better manners than cavemen.”
“Were they the blokes you were closest to on the team?”
Tim nodded. “Two of the three. The other guy, Eric, couldn’t be here today. He lives in Hawaii.”
They walked down the steps and took two seats in the middle of the second row. Tim explained that if they sat at the end, people might be asking them to get up every time they wanted to exit the row. He worried about her hip. Once again, Gemma was touched by his thoughtfulness.
About ten minutes before the gates were due to open, Brett jogged up the steps and removed his hat. “Er . . . Timmy, Gemma, sorry to barge in on you guys, but we have a big favor to ask you.”
Tim’s forehead wrinkled. “What’s up?”
“Mike was supposed to be our third judge today, but his flight was delayed, and he isn’t going to be able to make it until late afternoon. Would you be willing to fill in for him?”
Tim hesitated and glanced at her, then to Brett. “Sorry, but I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to Gemma.”
“I told Joe it was a long shot. We understand.”
Gemma pulled on Tim’s forearm. He turned to look at her. “Tim, it’s okay. If you need to be a judge today, I get it.”
“Gemma, no. Today is supposed to be a date. If I go down to the field and judge, I’ll be there all day. I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“You’re such a sweet man, especially when you’re trying to be a hero. You always try to please too many people. Go. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you afterward. In the meantime, if I have questions, I’ll text you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Now go,” she urged.
“Thanks, Gemma. We’ll take good care of Timmy today. I promise,” Brett said.
She grinned. “He’s among Sloths. I’m not worried in the least.”
Tim collected his jacket and glanced one more time at Gemma before heading down to the field.
“You’re a lucky guy, Timmy. Why didn’t you tell us about your smoking-hot girlfriend before?” she heard Brett ask.
“I’m selfish. I don’t like to share.”
As he joined Joe and Brett inside the tent, he seemed to glow with excitement in the same way he had when decorating his classroom. A few other guys in green Sloth shirts came over to greet him. It was clear that he was a popular person—the man of the hour.
A few minutes later, as the gates to the public officially opened, Gemma heard a trio of women in the row ahead of her chatting about Tim, Joe, and Brett.
“I can’t believe our luck. Did you see who the judges are? We have the Blockbuster, the Maverick, and the Flaming Bat! Talk about an all-star lineup. Everybody is going to be flocking to this side once they find out.”
Curiosity got the better of Gemma. Leaning forward, she tapped the woman with long brown hair and a denim jacket on the shoulder. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear you. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s so great about these three lads?”
“They’re legends! The Blockbuster used to have the most spectacular catches on the team. The Maverick would come up with the craziest skits and dance numbers, and the Flaming Bat . . . well, he’s the team’s all-time home-run record holder and the only guy ever to take an at-bat with his bat on fire.”
Tim had the home-run record? And could hit with a flaming bat? She made a mental note to look it up on SearchTube when she had a moment.
“I see, thanks for sharing.” Gemma settled back in her seat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to this year’s Fresno Sloth Ball Tryouts. We’re thrilled that you’ve given up your Saturday to join us. Please direct your attention to the scoreboard in center field for a short video introduction to this year’s judges.”
As Gemma watched the video with clips from the Sloth’s past seasons, with Joe, Brett, and Tim walking out onto the field imitating sloths, she realized just how little she knew about her boyfriend’s time with the team. Just as she’d thought she was coming to know who Tim was, another mystery appeared.
Chapter 17
Just when Gemma had sworn she’d seen everything—a guy performing with his trio of trained dancing puppies, a guy flipping on his mini trampoline, and a man riding into the tent on a unicycle—a bloke attempted to enter the dance tent on a pair of towering stilts. He wore a neon-green suit and top hat, and had painted his face to match.
As he bent his head, it was clear that he was too tall. Brett, Joe, and Tim got up out of their seats and walked outside to greet him.
