Was it really possible? How were the girls two years old already? No matter how many times Bella told herself again and again, it was hard to believe that it had been two years since she gave birth to the twins. Two years since she’d cradled each of the tiny little ones in her arms and promised them the best life a parent could possibly give. She wasn’t sure that Ithemba was the best life for any young child. After all, it was filled with dangerous - though contained - animals, and it was in the middle of nowhere. Still, the girls were two of the happiest toddlers that Bella had ever seen. She didn’t consider herself and Nathan the best parents ever, but they had to be doing something right. “Mama yook!”
Bella chuckled. “I’m looking, Mya. You’re an amazing driver.” She grinned at Nathan, who was staying close to the girls in their little car-stroller that had been delivered to their house. A birthday gift from Aunt Isa. Eryn was standing up, making sure that Nathan could see her properly. “Cheeeeese!” Bella couldn’t help but laugh again. Maybe it was just her maternal thoughts speaking, but she thought her girls were the smartest ever. Mya was more verbal, but Eryn was certainly bright as well. They were still young, but Bella had a feeling that they would be able to do anything they wanted when they grew up. Whether they remained in Africa or went to bigger cities of the world, they would be extraordinary. They were only two, but they had a great future ahead of them. Bella was sure of it.
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Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. The five stages of grief. Bella read tons of studies that claim elephants actually have a human-like grief process. The large animals had always intrigued her, but she’d never quite had the opportunity to study them up close and personal. She knew that they had many incredible aspects about them, such as the fact that they had the longest gestation period of all mammals. An average elephant female carried a calf in utero for a whomping 95 weeks. Humans were pregnant for 40 weeks and that already seemed way too long.
Elephants also had amazing memory. Some people said that elephants never forget. Bella sure hoped that they were forgiving creatures in that case. She couldn’t imagine not being able to forget. “Looking at elephant research again?” Bella almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Nathan’s voice all of a sudden. She chuckled. She’d been so deep into her research that she’d forgotten the world around her. She gasped. “The girls--!” “--are with Belie. She said you asked her to watch them for an hour.” “Oh jeez…” Bella smirked sheepishly. “I totally forgot.” She grimaced slightly and sighed. “I lost track of time. That doesn’t make me a bad mother does it?” Nathan stood behind the office chair and placed his hands on Bella’s shoulders. “Not at all.” He looked at the pile of journal articles and books. “So what’s on your mind?” He nodded towards the research on the screen. “Well… I’d like to do some field research. It’s risky. Maybe even a little crazy… what do you think?” There were many different kind of joys in life. No one ever told Bella how nearly-impossible it would be trying to make a cake from scratch with two mobile babies running around the house. Bella wished that she’d had eight arms so that she could repetitively grab Eryn or Mya from wrecking the house, and still mix batter. It was exhausting. But it was the kind of exhaustion that made Bella’s heart smile.
Nathan’s birthday had been an incredibly busy day at Ithemba. There hadn’t been time to make a cake for Nathan, but Bella chose days later to make it up to him. The previous day, Nathan had shown her quite an incredible sight. Artemis, their only female cheetah completely raised in captivity and successfully released, had not only thrived in the wild… but she was now the mother of a cub of her own. It was truly amazing. Bella was busy grinning like a fool at her nearly complete cake when suddenly there was a lot of commotion. The girls were shrieking and running, but seconds later, Bella realised it was completely out of joy. Daddy was back. Bella turned and smiled even wider when she saw Nathan entering the kitchen with a twin on each hip. “Hi there, handsome,” she greeted. “How are our furry babies this evening?” “They’re great? How are our tiny humans?” Bella chuckled. “Trying to keep mummy from making daddy a cake but… voila!” She stepped aside so he could see the fully decorated cake. Nathan put the girls down so they could run free again. “I was thinking,” said Bella, approaching her husband. “What if… we bred Asha and Jafar again? Or find Langa or Namandla mates?” She shrugged. “I dunno. It’s almost a new year. Maybe we can even take on an entirely new thing. Maybe expand Ithemba? Do some fundraisers to expand? Educational programmes?” Her ideas were endless. Nathan stepped close to Bella and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “How about we discuss it all over that delicious-looking cake?” Bella smiled at him and nodded. “Deal.” |
Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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