The One and Only Bob (The One and Only Ivan #2)(11)

“I suppose,” said Kimu.

I looked at him and, for the first time, wondered if I really did have any wolf in me. He was a majestic animal, with teeth that could shred a tree trunk.

I am also majestic. But more portable. With teeth that could mangle a pencil with enough time and effort.

“Hey, Bob,” Mitch said, “do dogs howl the way wolves do?”

“Of course we do.”

“So let’s hear something. A duet maybe.” He fluttered his wings, revealing startling patches of white. “Do you know ‘Talk to the Animals’? They play that on the carousel.”

“Go away, Mitch,” said Kimu, with just the right amount of menace in his voice.

“C’mon. Just a little howling. Pretend there’s a moon. Pretend you’re free. Pretend—”

Kimu growled, and so did I. His was pretty impressive. Guttural, deep. It spoke of death and dismemberment and all kinds of unpleasant bird nightmares.

I growled too. It spoke of . . . me being mildly peeved.

Still, Mitch got the message. He disappeared, a blur of wings.

“Actually, I’ve never howled at the moon,” I admitted.

“Me, neither,” said Kimu. “I’d feel kind of silly, doing it here.”





enrichment


We’re almost to my favorite spot in the park.

The great thing for me is that one corner of Gorilla World juts up against Elephant Odyssey, the area where Ruby lives. A low stone wall separates the two spaces, and there’s a moat on the elephant side. The sections connect like two slices of pie, and my secret spot is right at the center, where I can hang out with my crew. Ivan and Ruby both have access to indoor habitats, which is great when the weather isn’t cooperating.

The indoor space for gorillas ain’t bad. I call it the “gorilla villa.” It has tons of ropes and hammocks and branches to climb. Humans watch through a thick wall of glass while the young gorillas run around like kids at recess.

But whenever Julia and I visit, we can almost always find Ivan and Ruby outside.

We trudge up a little rise, though it isn’t much of a hill. We live in a pretty flat part of the world. From there I can see just about everything: the park, the parking lot, the creek. Far beyond that, every now and then, I can even catch a glimpse of the ocean.

My secret place is a little hard to get to, right near the keepers’ shed, nicely hidden by trees and bushes. Under a big magnolia tree there’s a bench shaped like a gorilla holding out his arms. Julia likes to sit there and draw.

Sometimes she does her homework, which smells like frustration with a hint of eraser.

Whenever I visit, Julia props me up on the stone wall that separates Ruby’s world from Ivan’s. Visitors can’t see me, and the keepers pretend not to see me.

If they caught any other dog there, he’d be out in a heartbeat. But Ivan and Ruby and I have a history. I make them happy.

I’m what you might call “enrichment.”

At the park, they try to keep the animals engaged with surprises and challenges and changes to their environment. That’s what enrichment is all about. The gorillas get watermelons to demolish and boxes to hide in and markers for drawing. The elephants get sprinklers and flavored water and elephant-sized rubber balls.

Not exactly like a day in the real jungle, of course. But the keepers try as hard as they can to make life interesting.

For Ivan and Ruby, I’m the ultimate enrichment.

I’m their best pal.





walls and bad guys


Julia takes me out of her backpack and I settle onto the wide stone wall. It’s my fave place on the planet ’cause it means I can see Ivan and Ruby. But I also kinda hate it.

Walls will do that to you.



Ivan, being Ivan, is a mellow kinda guy. Takes the good with the bad, only gets angry when he really needs to. When I complain about the walls at the park, he says, “Walls keep the animals in. But they also keep the bad guys out.”

Of course, gorillas don’t have a whole lot of bad guys to deal with. Elephants either. So humans step in to fill the void.

Dogs? Sometimes it feels like we have enemies galore.

Everyone wants a piece of us. Humans treat us badly. Cars really have it in for us. We even get eaten by coyotes, which is kinda like having your cousin invite you over for dinner, then inform you you’re the main course.

Although I’d probably just be the appetizer.

Anyways. After those twenty-seven years stuck in a mall, Ivan is one of those “glass half full” kinda guys when it comes to the walls surrounding him. Glad to be with others of his own kind. Cared for by smart and loving humans.

I’m more of a “water bowl of power half empty” kinda guy.

Every time I leave Ivan and Ruby, I am painfully aware that I can leave. Ivan’s address is “Gorilla World.” Ruby’s is “Elephant Odyssey.”



And me? I guess my address is the same as Julia and George and Sara’s. 1249 Hinman Avenue.

I mean, of course it is. I’ve been living there a whole year now.

It is.

And yet, sometimes I still wake up at night and think, Gotta find shelter, gotta find safety, gotta find somewhere to belong.

Guess I don’t want to get too comfortable.