So what’s on his mind?
We walk indoors, the thumps of his stick echoing, to see the bears and seals frolic, submerged in water, behind thick panes of glass. A baby seal does a whole funny little dance for us underwater, flippers waving.
Seth stands stone-still, eyes wide. Good or bad sign? Not sure, but I tug on his elbow, and he grudgingly takes a step closer to the glass.
The seal flips over, somersaulting in the water, as if putting on a private show for us, and I giggle, unable to help myself. It’s such a cute little thing.
He shifts, takes his other hand out of his pocket, reaches for the seal. He swallows hard. His hand lands on the glass and he bends closer as the seal twists and wiggles.
Then he pulls back
, turns around and heads out.
Whoa.
I run after him, and jeez, even with a limp he’s so much faster than me. Remorse hits me as I catch up with him outside. He’s leaning against a tree, head tilted back, his stick lying in the grass. His knee must be bothering him and I made him walk a lot today.
“Why don’t we go sit for a while?” I gesture in the direction of a bench I can see. “Then we could—”
“I’m leaving.” He works his jaw, won’t meet my gaze. “Don’t care about the stupid animals. Fuck them.”
I gape at him, heat pouring through my chest. Anger warms me up better than any coat. “Fine. I’ll drive you back.”
“I’ll take the bus.” He pushes off the tree, wincing as he straightens. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you’ll be.” I fold my arms over my breasts, willing the hot tears in my eyes not to fall. “My fault for bringing you here, where you obviously don’t want to be.”
His mouth tightens. He ducks his head. “I can’t stay, Manon. Sorry.”
“What for? I wanted you to have fun, but since the stupid animals bore you, then by all means, go.”
I expect him to do precisely that, but he doesn’t move.
“Dammit,” he whispers. A small vein ticks in his jaw, and his eyes seem very bright over his flushed cheekbones. “I always fuck everything up.”
“That’s not true,” I breathe, some of my anger leaving me. I really have no clue what’s the matter with him, but I have a feeling he’s trying to work something out. I wish I knew what it is.
“It is true.”
“Look, it’s okay if you don’t want to stay. Then again…” I turn, point at a sign. “The snakes are right there, at the end of this path. You could have a look before you go.”
He follows the direction my finger is pointing. He licks his lips. His hands clench and unclench at his sides.
It takes an eternity before he nods, a tight dip of his chin, and holds out a hand for me.
Okay. I let out a breath and slip my hand against his palm, bend down to retrieve his stick and put it in his other hand.
Let’s see where this takes us.
First it takes us to the snakes, of course. The Herpetarium. It’s warm inside the dimly-lit space with its glass cases, and I tighten my hold on Seth’s hand.
“Afraid?” he whispers, and I jump.
“No, of course not,” I scoff, then step closer to him, biting my lip. “Okay, maybe just a tiny bit?”
“Of snakes?”
“Yeah.”