"That was just to win you back, M'lady."
...
"One for this child," Ayan points towards Rudy who purses his lips. We all grin, looking at each other. The cashier rolls his eyes and responds with a courteous nod and processes the transaction efficiently. With a formal statement of greeting and a genuine smile, he hands us tickets for Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary.
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is an ideal jungle resort within nature itself. In addition to the plethora of animal and plant life, there are also a number of other attractions including a zoo, botanical gardens, Deer Safari Park, Nature trails and Nature Education Centre. The most commendable step that the Sanctuary has taken in the preservation of the environment is the Rehabilitation Centre that tends to wounded animals.
When Rudy whines about visiting the zoo first, we all head towards it. Ayan reaches for my hand and I glare at him.
"Don't touch me."
"Naira, I..." He looks around uncomfortably. "I-"
I cut him off by saying, "Can we do this later? Everyone else has gone ahead. We're behind." He nods curtly in reply.
The zoo is almost deserted with a few more tourists. Emily is talking to a little girl who has tears streaming down her face. Rudy passes her his packet of Cheetos which is a huge accomplishment because just this morning Zubair had tried to take one and he had lectured him for an hour.
Her cheeks puff as she takes deep breaths and starts wailing loudly at seeing Rudy. Rudy looks at her in horror and steps away from her. Sasha shakes her head at him and bends down in front of the little girl and wipes her tears.
"What's your name?" she asks her softly.
"Tara," she says in between sobs. "An uncle brought me here and then he said that he'll be back in a minute but he hasn't been back yet." Her chin trembles as she looks at all of us.
"Did you know that uncle personally?" Sasha asks her as Emily strokes her hair.
She shakes her head as she mumbles, "No."
We all sigh and look at each other. Ayan bends down and picks her up and holds her firmly in his arms. She looks at him with her big hazel eyes as he asks, "Do you want something to drink?"
She nods her tiny head up and down.
"Only if you promise you won't cry anymore."
"Okay," she says while sniffing.
"Good girl," he says making Tara smile. "There must be a cafe here," he mumbles under his breath.
"Um, can I come along?" I ask, surprising him. His eyes widen and he takes a moment to respond but says yes nonetheless.
"Can I come too?" Rudy asks but Zubair holds him back as he says, "Let them go."
"Fine," Rudy groans, "Can you bring something for me to eat as well?"
"But you already have something to eat," Tara says as she points at Rudy's hand.
We all smile at her. She won't get it.
...
"I wanna eat chocolate," Tara demands as soon as we reach the cafe which was very difficult to locate. We had to ask a lot of other tourists on the way.
"Really? You'll get cavities, girl," Ayan says as he tickles her nose.
She giggles and I smile at them. Ayan puts her down and I hold her hand.
"Ayan," I ask, getting his attention. "I'll buy her chocolate. Can you go and talk to the authorities? Perhaps make an announcement of a missing child."
He nods his head. "Okay, you know the way back to others, right?"
"Yeah," I say as Tara tightens her hold on my hand.
"Okay, be careful."
I grab his hand making him pause. "This doesn't change anything though. I'm still angry with you."
He gives me an amused smile.
"I know, sunflower." He places a light kiss on my forehead. "Don't get lost."
After I buy Tara chocolate milk - there was no chocolate at the cafe - she observes me for a while.
"Sunflower," she says as she tugs on my hand, "he likes you."
My eyes widen as I look at her smiling while showing her teeth. She has one teeth missing in front but that just adds to her beauty.
"My name is Naira," I say as my cheeks redden. "And he doesn't like me."
"Oh, sunflower sounds prettier." She shrugs. "Also, he does. Didn't you see how-"
I cut her off by changing the topic. "Who is your favourite animal?"
Her eyes brighten as she mentions, "Tiger. I wanna see a tiger. Can we pwease see one? Pweaseee?"
"You're not scared of tigers? They're scary."
"Not at all," she says, slurping her drink, "I'm scared of mice." She scrunches up her face as she shudders.
I laugh. "Okay, girl. Let's see a tiger then."
...
"Here, I brought you this," I say, passing coffee to Rudy. He smiles at me as he says, "Thank you Naira, you're the only one who cares about me." Sasha snorts.
"I can't see the animals completely," Tara says leaping up and down trying to get a better view.
Cole picks her up and places her on his shoulders. "Better?" he asks her as she nods her head excitedly.
The zoo is a lively place with its large display of animals and birds. The tiger with its blazing orange eyes reminds me of fire. The sweet voice of the birds makes Tara giggle. She requested to leave as soon as she saw the hippopotamus, said they were scary.
She isn't scared of tigers but she's scared of hippos.
In the Deer Safari Park, one of the deers had leaned its neck over towards its mother, half closing its eyes in bliss. Tara had been mesmerised by their shape. So elegant, so beautiful.
"Hey," Ayan says, panting - he probably ran till here.
"Any luck?" Sasha and I ask at the same time.
His eyes cast downward as he shakes his head.
I sigh. "What are we going to do with her?" I ask, looking at her smiling face.
"Take her home for now. We will have to go to the police later too."
"Her parents would be so worried about her," Sasha mumbles.
"I know. What else can we do? We can't leave her here," Ayan says as he glances towards me.