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Dani was pulling on her jacket as Mia stood at the front door ready to go. ‘Mommy! We’re going to be late!’
‘We’re not going to be late, darling. We have a good forty minutes yet to get to school for the day trip.’
‘But I want to get a good seat on the bus!’ Mia whined.
Malcolm stood there with their youngest, Gracie, in his arms. ‘Mommy, hug!’ Gracie twisted about in his arms to stretch towards her mother.
Dani came over and gave her daughter a tight hug and a kiss on her cheeks. ‘You be a good little girl for Daddy. Promise?’
‘Good girl!’ Gracie parroted back. ‘Gracie good girl!’
‘And you, mister,’ Dani turned to him and gave him a good kiss on his lips, ignoring the noises coming from their older daughter. ‘You be a good boy.’
‘Would I be anything but?’ Malcolm grinned at her, his eyes flashing impishly.
‘Don’t let our daughter talk you into anything that will cause trouble.’
‘She’s your daughter, that’s a tall order.’
Dani smiled at him and patted his cheek. ‘Be good. You’re warned.’
‘Mommy! We have to go!’ Mia was tugging now on Dani’s hand.
‘Yes, Mia. Let’s go.’
‘Bye bye!’ Gracie waved to her sister and mother as they left.
‘Just you and I all day, little lady.’ Malcolm kissed her on the cheek. ‘You want to go to the play park today?’
‘Play park!’ Gracie bounced in his arms at the thought of going to the large play park.
‘Thought you’d say that.’ Malcolm headed up the stairs.
‘Settle down, little lady.’ Malcolm was struggling a short while later to get Gracie into her stroller.
‘Want to walk!’
‘Not till we get to the park, Gracie.’ Malcolm had to tug the end of the stroller belt out from under Gracie again. ‘It’s a long walk.’
‘Want to walk!’ She slapped the bar of the stroller.
‘At the park you can walk.’ Malcolm finally got her belted in.
‘No!’
‘We can stay home then.’ Malcolm warned her sternly. Gracie knew his tone and, with a flash of a last pout, she settled back in the stroller. ‘Thank you, Gracie.’
Keeping her settled in the stroller was harder to do the closer they got to the play park. As they approached the main gate, Malcolm spotted the banner announcing the presence of a travelling petting zoo on sight for the week. ‘Look at that, little lady. They have a petting zoo. We can go and see some animals.’
‘An-mals?’ Gracie tried to pronounce the word.
‘Animals.’ Malcolm repeated for her.
‘Animals.’
‘You got it!’ He reached down and ruffled her curls. Gracie giggled and clapped her hands.
Inside the park, Gracie spotted the colourful fencing around the petting zoo and lost all interest in actually playing at the park. All she wanted to do was explore the new fun to be had in the zoo. Malcolm wheeled her up to the petting zoo and paid the entrance fee for them both.
Gracie squealed in delight at the first sight of some rabbits calmly hopping about a pen with straw covering the ground. Malcolm got her out of the stroller and she quickly toddled over to the pen fence. Her little hands were soon through the fence to pet the large soft bunny. The bunny, used to small hands, was more than happy to sit still and let the little girl stroke its back. Malcolm pulled out his mobile and took some photos.
‘No, Gracie. No putting your hands in your mouth. Let’s wash them first.’ Malcolm caught her before she could and got her hands washed up. They were joined by other little kids accompanied by parents. With her hand in his, Malcolm steered the empty stroller through the cluster of pens. Gracie was next taken by a small flock of chickens clucking about. They only got the attention of the chickens when a handful of corn was offered to them.
The birds didn’t keep her attention for long so they were off to look at some goats next. The small goats were loud and rambunctious, not wanting to really stay still for Gracie to play with them at all.
The next pen was some small alpacas with big puffs of soft fur on their heads which they were keen to let Gracie pet while they ate some feed from Malcolm’s hand. ‘Apacas?’
‘Alpacas.’ Malcolm corrected her.
‘Al pah cas.’ Gracie repeated slowly. ‘Fluffy heads!’
‘Very fluffy.’ Malcolm agreed even as the one he was feeding was managing to drool all over his hand.
‘More animals, daddy.’ Gracie’s attention on the alpacas ended and they moved on to the next pen which was of some sheep. She was more used to sheep and didn’t care to spend much time petting them.
They turned at the end of the line pens to work their way back to the entrance. This side of the petting zoo was designed with a larger long pen with a number of ponies in it. The ponies were all small ones with different colours of coats. Gracie froze at first at her first sight of the larger animal before her. ‘Daddy!’ She quickly reached out for Malcolm to grab tightly at his trouser leg.
‘That’s a pony, Gracie.’ Malcolm squatted down, reassuring her.
‘Pony is big!’ Her eyes were wide as saucers.
The closest pony to them was grey and white with a white forelock. It shook its head, snorting softly. It had a small saddle on it. Gracie wrapped her arms around Malcolm’s leg as the pony came over to them. It snuffled at them, able to smell the scent of the feed Malcolm had recently had in his hand.
‘Don’t worry, little girl. Davey here is gentle.’ The handler came over to them. The young man patted the pony’s flank. ‘He likes to give little girls rides. You want to go for a ride on Davey?’
‘Safe daddy?’ Gracie looked up at Malcolm.
‘Of course the pony is safe, little lady. Look.’ He held out his hand and Davey the pony was happy to wetly nuzzle his hand looking for food. The handler gave Malcolm a couple pieces of carrot. Gracie was still wide eyed as she watched Malcolm feed the carrots to the pony.
‘I want to, Daddy.’
‘Here you go,’ Malcolm directed her to hold out her hand, palm up and hold it steady. He placed the piece of carrot in her palm. Davey gently took the carrot from Gracie’s hand and ate it.
‘Pony is pretty.’ Gracie said, her fear of the pony ebbing as Malcolm showed her the pony was safe.
‘You want to pet the pony?’ The handler asked.
‘Yes!’ Gracie nodded vigorously.
Davey responded to a few clucks from the handler and dipped his head lower for Gracie to reach up to gently pet the pony’s long muzzle with both hands.
‘No, Gracie. No kissing the pony.’ Malcolm stopped her from leaning forward to kiss the pony.
‘Pony not safe?’ Gracie asked, a bit confused. ‘Daddy said pony safe.’
‘He’s safe but you don’t kiss ponies.’
Gracie curled up her nose at his explanation. ‘I kiss you, daddy. You safe.’
‘I’m not a pony.’ Malcolm explained.
‘Daddy and pony safe.’ Gracie’s logic was impeccable kid logic. ‘I kiss you. I kiss pony! Both safe.’ She leaned forward, her hands on the pony’s muzzle. It stood there calmly as Gracie managed to at least touch her nose against its muzzle.
‘Gracie,’ Malcolm managed to stop her before she could do a full on kiss of its muzzle. ‘Ponies are not daddies and aren’t meant to be kissed.’ He picked her up in his arms, grabbing a wipe from his pocket to clean off her nose. ‘Ponies are for riding not kissing.’
‘Riding?’ Gracie repeated, not understanding.
‘Here, little girl.’ The handler, used to such scenes with curious children. ‘Davey would love to give you a ride.’
Malcolm knew it would cost him a pound but it was well worth it to get her off the idea of kissing a pony. ‘See, he wants to give you a ride.’
Davey snorted softly and seemed to smile at the little girl with a wide open mouth. Malcolm set her back on the ground and Gracie looked up at Davey the pony and smiled back at him. When he graced her with a neigh she imitated the pony and laughed.
‘Davey!’ She threw her arms around the pony’s muzzle and was more than agreeable to have Malcolm pick her up and set her on the saddle. The handler directed Malcolm to just walk calmly beside the pony as he led the rider and Davey around the pen a few times. Gracie at first sat up straight but soon found she could lean forward, hold onto Davey’s mane with her little hands and rest her head on the soft fur of the strong neck. Malcolm took a number of photos and was happy to let the handler take a photo of his daughter on the back of the pony with him beside them.
‘Mia’s going to be jealous.’ Malcolm told his youngest daughter as they finally left the petting zoo. The little girl was exhausted and put up no fuss at all when Malcolm belted her into the stroller to head home. ‘You got to ride Davey and she didn’t.’
Gracie looked up. ‘I got Davey first.’
‘You did, little lady, you did.’ Malcolm grinned at his daughter. ‘Maybe we should bring Mommy and Mia back on the weekend.’
‘No.’ Gracie said. ‘Davey all mine.’
‘You wouldn’t share? Not even with Mommy?’
‘No. Davey my pony. They get own pony.’ Gracie insisted.
‘What if Mia wanted to ride with you on Davey?’
‘No, Davey my pony.’ Gracie wasn’t going to share this time.
‘Okay, Davey is your pony. Mia can pick another pony then.’
‘Mia get her own pony.’ Gracie agreed finally.