I Am Not Uptight!

The Zoo part 1

Josh did, in fact, see.

Three minutes after passing through the turnstiles and he was already regretting putting on a nice shirt and his good coat. The memory of the third grade trip he went to was clearly hazy and rose-colored, because he did not remember the zoo being so… chaotic. And smelly. And crowded.

Kids ran around carelessly with food in their hands, on their hands, on their faces or on their clothes—that making in contact with one of the messy ones would ensure a stain on Josh's coat. 

The others—now including Wells who just met them by the entrance—seemed unbothered; but that was because he was a large guy with a resting scary face that made both children and adults move out of his way. 

Meanwhile, Dustin and Gary separated from the group after dropping Daniel and Josh off by the entrance. They would “go find Jane then set up,” Gary had said, which probably had something to do with the equipment they were lugging into the van that morning. Josh didn’t know the whole story with that, but with Gary and Dustin arguing if a talking monkey would be a good house pet during the entire drive, he failed to ask.

So, there was Josh left with Daniel and Wells. All three were quiet as they made their way to the dolphin show to reserve seats. Wells, because that’s just the way he is. Josh, because he was too busy dodging and secretly hiding behind Wells. Daniel, because he was preoccupied with his phone for whatever reason.

When Daniel did put his device back into his pocket, they were already standing in line to buy tickets. 

“How are you enjoying the trip so far?” he asked in a tone that said he already knew the answer. 

Still, Josh tried his best to drain the sarcasm out when he replied, “Great,” while simultaneously stepping to the side to dodge a man who almost spilled his drink in order to stop his offspring from running off. 

“Real great,” Josh repeated with a panic-stricken face.

Daniel let out a chuckle at that, then he noticed that it was only the two of them standing in line. He looked around to see Wells by a corner with his arms crossed. It was easy to spot him in a crowd, thanks to his height and the dark aura that always surrounded him. Daniel had thought about it before, but he would be the perfect companion to a concert—like having a bodyguard that would easily move people away.

“Is he always like that?” Josh asked, following his gaze.

“Yeah, he’s been with us for over a month but no one knows what his deal is.”

“You should really improve your screening process,” Josh suggested, remembering how their “process" was almost non-existent. “Aren’t you concerned that you’ll get, I don’t know, murderers?”

“Eh,” Daniel shrugged a shoulder. “Where’s the fun in that? This way is like playing a game of roulette. You’re never sure what mix you’re going to get, and that's the cool part,“ he said, even though he knew that Josh was right. There had been a few… mishaps before that could have been avoided. But the question remained, where was the fun in that?

“Anyway, going back to the point of this trip—you’re in for a treat! A dolphin show, a short and private tour, lunch, then another performance that will blow your brains out in a good way,” Daniel added, his eyes sparkling with excitement at the thought of it; but as he was saying that, a woman suddenly crossed their line and decided to pass in front of Josh, unaware that her large hat hit him in the face.

Daniel's lips formed an o in surprise, while Josh closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

“You okay?” Daniel asked. “Think you can handle a half day here?”

Josh opened his eyes and took a deep breath as he fixed his glasses. They had barely gone through their first event and he already looked tired. “Is that why you brought me here?” he asked. “Because I don’t like mess and this place is—"

“Is messy and overcrowded? Yes,” Daniel easily admitted. He noticed a few strands of Josh's hair had gone against the part, so he put them back into place without a second thought. “I thought it’s a good starter compared to hosting a house party,” he said just as they finally reached the front of the line. He slid a few bills to the seller and waited. “Besides, when’s the last time you took a day off to do nothing and just look at stuff? I'm guessing you don’t go out much.”

“I do go out,” Josh replies with a hint of defensiveness that Daniel saw right through.

“The trips to the grocery store and the market don’t count.”

“Then I guess I don’t go out much.”

“I figured with the way you’ve been avoiding every person that comes your way.” Daniel said a small smile before he received the four tickets and thanked the employee. To Josh, he continued to say, “You know, you'd be a good dodgeball player.”

Josh looked at him suspiciously. “We're in a zoo filled with animals behind glass, but why do I feel like I'm the one being observed?”

“It’s a habit,” Daniel chuckled, patting the back of Josh's shoulder as they turned to walk towards Wells. “Come on, let’s get some snacks for the—” just then, a small kid he failed to see accidentally bumped her shoulder on him as she ran. It would have been alright since no one got hurt, but then he heard a strangled “Haa,” from beside him and the girl began to cry. Apparently, the kid was holding a snow cone, only some of it were now on the floor and most were on Josh's pants.

“Okay, change of plans,” Daniel said, looking quite horrified as he saw the wet stain of melted ice and syrup grow larger on Josh's pants. Some of the ice even fell onto Josh's loafers. That for sure was not comfortable, and it showed on his new tenant's face pretty clearly.

“New plan, Wells gets the snacks and we get you a change of clothes.”