Zoo Outing.

We walked along in silence, holding hands, with my fingers threaded through the straps of my purse as well.  My other hand had a cane.  People made great efforts to avoid us.  Probably because I am that strange woman in a headscarf and a cane. 

When did I become so weird?  One or the other, but not BOTH...good grief.  A cane AND a scarf...how dare I? 

We walked along, not saying much, but looking at the zoo animals as we came to each one. 

The sun was shining on us and it was warm.  Lots of families with young children were all around us.  Noticeably absent were teenagers, including ours.  The zoo is not a place that appeals to teenagers, I guess. 

But it appealed to us and so we went and bought passes.  He said something about coming here for walks after his oncologist visits some afternoons.  This would be a good place to process bad news, I knew.  That's what he meant although the words were unsaid. 

I was holding his hand and I said:  "I sure loved it when the kids were small.  I hope God gives me grandchildren someday."  He said: "I hope God gives you grandchildren, too."  Neither of us mentioned the singular that we both used. 

If we had, it would have been too sad. 

We walked along, not saying much at all until we got tired.  Then we sat and watched the sea lions.  After a bit, we proceeded to the tram stop. The tram was a long time in coming and my legs were very tired and aching.  Eventually some zoo employees offered us a ride back to the entrance in their cart.  We got to see the back side of the zoo on our ride up the hill. 

Kindness exists.  We were blessed.  And it was a fun afternoon.