​Ellie and the Elephant

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” her mother said, pointing to an advertisement in the newspaper. The zoo had a new arrival, a baby elephant.

“Let's go now.” Ellie perked up with excitement.

“I'll have to take time from work. We can go Saturday. We'll make it one of our special dates.” Ellie's mother worked most weekends. Ellie hated that she had this second job, but her mother explained that as a single mother, she needed the extra income. These rare mother-daughter dates were always planned around once-in-a-lifetime occasions.

 

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~ * ~

Expecting a large crowd, they arrived at the zoo forty minutes before it opened. As Ellie and her mother walked up, they saw the line was already twenty families deep. This was just to get in. Once inside, Ellie and her mother would have to hightail it to the exhibit, which was on the far side of the zoo. It was under renovation, and the viewing area would be limited.

Ellie's mother was reading the map as they waited. “The baby's scheduled bath is five minutes after the zoo opens. That would be so special to see.”

Ellie agreed. She convinced herself that this required a race to the exhibit. She looked at the other people in line. They were her competition. She saw families hauling babies and toddlers; she did not worry about them. There was a ten year old girl in line. She was two years older than Ellie and posed a significant threat. Then, Ellie saw she was with her grandmother, who was in a wheelchair. They would be no problem.
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Next, there was a boy. His parents looked to be in better shape than her mother. They would probably beat them there. Then again, they may not choose to see the elephants first; it is on the opposite side of the zoo after all. Ellie liked the odds, even as the line filled with more people.

A family of four walked past the line. They were greeted by one of the zoo employees. The father carried a very expensive camera. The mother, tall and lean, was covered in jewelry. The boy looked thirteen, and the girl was Ellie’s age. They must have paid for special access. They bypassed the line, and went in fifteen minutes before the zoo officially opened.

Ellie shrugged it off. It didn't matter, they weren't the competition. The ticket booth opened, and people started to file into the zoo. After a relatively short wait, Ellie and her mother were past the gate.

“I have to use the ladies room first,” her mother said.

“What? Seriously?”

“What's with the tone?”

“I guess I'll go too.”

When they finally made it to the exhibit, there was a queue of about ten people. The line led to a window that peered into the elephant barn. Ellie and her mother waited patiently. The line moved slowly.

They made it to the window after fifteen minutes of waiting. They stepped up on a platform. And there it was, the baby. It was the cutest thing Ellie had ever seen. It was soaped up, and the zoo keepers were scrubbing it. This was special.

Ellie knew other people were waiting to step up to the window. She had maybe three more minutes before it became impossible to pretend they weren't there.

“This is fantastic,” her mother said. Ellie was thinking the same thing.

Not a minute passed before the family that bypassed the line appeared. They were inside the barn. But what happened next frustrated and infuriated Ellie. The whole family, and their escort, stopped right in front of the window. They blocked Ellie’s view of the baby. There was plenty of space inside, all they had to do was step three feet to one side.

Ellie only had a couple minutes left now. She started tapping on the window. “Move!”

“Don’t do that please,” her mother said. “We don’t want to be rude.”

Was she kidding? She was the rude one? The people across the glass did not even notice when she tapped the window.

The thirteen year old boy wasn't even looking at the elephants; he was playing on his phone. The mother was busy ignoring the pouting little girl. The father was the only one genuinely interested. He was snapping photos the entire time, from every possible angle.

One more minute, Ellie turned to see the six year old that was next. She remembered the untarnished excitement in his eyes; she was there only a few minutes ago.

“Okay, let’s give our friends in line a turn.” Her mother pulled her hand, stepping off the platform.

The little boy took a step up and looked through the window. He turned to look at Ellie with a sad and confused look on his face. Ellie gave him a shrug. The boy, not as polite as Ellie, banged repeatedly on the glass. It didn't matter, the family inside the glass did not flinch.

“I couldn’t see anything, mom.” Ellie said.

“I know, sweetie.”

Ellie insisted that they get back in the elephant line. They did. The line had increased in size considerably, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after all.

Ellie saw the family exit the barn. The boy looked up from his phone, just long enough to know which direction to walk in. The woman argued with the girl. The man talked to the zoo escort. Ellie looked at her mother and smiled. She was happy to have this special mother-daughter date, she knew these moments were special.