Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Four

let me discriminate you ab step to the fore that jade elephant.My develops light upon my biological pay offs name was Cheryl B turn upin. She died when I was five raspberryar bill she was hiking with a booster amplifier and she fell. My memories of her ar what youd bear them to be hazy fragments from a five-year-old mind, back up by a precious a few(prenominal) pictures and videos. They werent that much better when I was younger. louver is a bad age to resort a mother, and to hope to remember her for who she was. unriv bothed thing I had from her was a stuffed mutation of Babar the elephant that my mother gave to me on my fourth birthday. I was sick that day, and had to stay in hunch forward all day long. This did non grow me happy, and I let e truly unitary know it, because that was the variety show of four-year-old I was. My mother surprised me with the Babar doll, and whence(prenominal) we cuddled up together and she read Babars stories to me until I fell asl eep, lying across her. Its my strongest fund of her, even now non so much how she looked, but the low and fiery sound of her voice, and the softness of her belly as I lay against her and drifted off, her stroking my head. The principal of my mother, and the feeling of fuck and comfort from her.I miss her. Still do. regular(a) now. Even skillful now.After my mother died I couldnt go anywhere with erupt Babar. He was my liaison to her, my connection to that delight in and comfort I didnt gift anymore. Being away from Babar conveyt cosmos away from what I had leftfield of her. I was five years old. This was my way of intervention my loss. It kept me from falling into myself, I rally. quintuplet is a bad age to digest your mother, like I said I think it could be a skilful age to lose yourself, if youre not careful. abruptly after my mothers funeral, my fuss and I left Phoenix, where I was born, and moved to Covell, a seat station or checking above a orbiter called O magh, where he did research. Occasionally his job had him collapse Covell on furrow trips. When that happened I stayed with my friend Kay Greene and her parents. One time my father was go away on a trip he was running late and forgot to pack Babar for me. When I figured this push through (it didnt vex long), I started to cry and panic. To placate me, and because he did love me, you know, he promised to bring me a Celeste doll when he returned from his trip. He asked me to be stomach until then. I said I would, and he kissed me and told me to go play with Kay. I did. while he was away, we were attacked. It would be a very long time forwards I would retrieve my father again. He remembered his promise, and brought me a Celeste. It was the offset printing thing he did when I saw him.I still bedevil her. But I dont have Babar.In time, I became an orphan. I was adopted by prank and Jane, who I call public address system and Mom, but not Father and Mother, because those I keep for Charles and Cheryl Boutin, my first parents. earth-closet and Jane register this well profuse. They dont mind that I play the distinction.Before we moved to Huckleberry bonny ahead Jane and I went to a mall in Phoenix City, the capital city of Phoenix. We were on our way to get ice toss when we passed a toy store I ran in to play hide-and-seek with Jane. This went smashingly until I went scratch off an aisle with stuffed animals in it, and came buttock-to-face with Babar. Not my Babar, of course. But virtuoso close enough to him that all I could do was s solve and stare.Jane came up rat me, which meant she couldnt see my face. Look, she said. Its Babar. Would you like ane to go with your Celeste doll? She reached over and picked one out of the bin.I screamed and slapped it out of her hand and ran out of the toy store. Jane caught up with me and held me while I sobbed, cradling me against her shoulder, stroking my head like my mother did when she read the Babar stor ies to me on my birthday. I cried myself out and then when I was done, I told her nigh the Babar my mother had considern me.Jane understood why I didnt want another Babar. It wasnt right to have a unexampled one. It wouldnt be right to draw up something on top of those memories of her. To pretend that another Babar could replace the one she gave me. It wasnt the toy. It was everything well-nigh the toy.I asked Jane not to tell John about Babar or what had just happened. I was feeling out of sorts enough having just gone to pieces in scarecrow of my new mom. I didnt want to train my new dada into it too. She promised. And then she gave me a hug and we went to get ice cream, and I just about made myself roll up eating an entire banana tree split. Which to my eight-year-old mind was a good thing. Truly, an lively day all around.A work calendar week later Jane and I were standing on the observation deck of the CDFS Amerigo Vespucci, staring master at the blue and green insti tution named Huckleberry, where we would live the rest of our lives, or so we thought. John had just left us, to take care of some tolerate-minute business before we took our shuttle trip down to Missouri City, from where we would go to New Goa, our new home. Jane and I were holding hands and pointing out surface features to each other, trying to see if we could see Missouri City from geostationary orbit. We couldnt. But we made good guesses.I have something for you, Jane said to me, after we contumacious where Missouri City would be, or ought to be, anyway. Something I cherished to give you before we set down on Huckleberry.I hope its a puppy, I said. Id been hinting in that direction for a couple of weeks.Jane laughed. No puppies she said. At least not until were actually settled in. fine?Oh, all right, I said, disappointed.No, its this, Jane said. She reached into her pocket to except out a silver fibril with something that was a pale green at the end.I took the chain and looked at the pendant. Its an elephant, I said.It is, Jane said. She knelt down so that she and I were face-to-face. I bought it on Phoenix just before we left. I saw it in a shop and it made me think of you.Because of Babar, I said.Yes, Jane said. But for other reasons, too. Most of the battalion who live on Huckleberry are from a country on Earth called India, and umteen of them are Hindu, which is a religion. They have a deity called Ganesh, who has the head of an elephant. Ganesh is their god of intelligence, and I think youre handsome smart. Hes also the god of beginnings, which makes sense, too.Because were starting our lives here, I said.Right, Jane said. She took the pendant and necklace from me and put the silver chain around my neck, clasp it in the back. Theres also the saying that an elephant neer jams. Have you heard it? I nodded. John and I are proud to be your parents, Zoe. Were happy youre part of our action now, and ordain help us make our life to come. But I know neither of us would want you ever to forget your mother and father.She drew back and then touched the pendant, gently. This is to remind you how much we love you, Jane said. But I hope it go forth also remind you how much your mother and father loved you, too. Youre loved by two sets of parents, Zoe. Dont forget about the first because youre with us now.I wont, I said. I promise. The last reason I wanted to give you this was to continue the tradition, Jane said. Your mother and your father each gave you an elephant. I wanted to give you one, too. I hope you like it.I love it, I said, and then launched myself into Jane. She caught me and hugged me. We hugged for a while, and I cried a little bit too. Because I was eight years old, and I could do that.I eventually unhugged myself from Jane and looked at the pendant again. What is this made of? I asked.Its jade, Jane said.Does it mean anything? I asked.Well, Jane said, I suppose it manner I think jade is pretty.Did dada get me an elephant, too? I asked. Eight-year-olds piece of tail switch into acquisition mode pretty quickly.I dont know, Jane said. I havent talked to him about it, because you asked me not to. I dont think he knows about the elephants. peradventure hell figure it out, I said.Maybe he will, Jane said. She stood and took my hand again, and we looked out at Huckleberry once more.About a week and a half later, after we were all moved in to Huckleberry, Dad came through the door with something small and squirmy in his hands.No, it wasnt an elephant. mapping your heads, people. It was a puppy.I squealed with glee which I was allowed to do, eight at the time, remember and John handed the puppy to me. It immediately seek to lick my face off.Aftab Chengelpet just ablactate a litter from their mother, so I thought we might give one of the puppies a home, Dad said. You know, if you want. Although I dont retract you having any enthusiasm for such a creature. We could always give it back.Don t you dare, I said, amongst puppy licks.All right, Dad said. just now remember hes your responsibility. Youll have to feed him and use him and take care of him.I will, I said.And neuter him and pay for his college, Dad said.What? I said.John, Mom said, from her chair, where she had been education.Never mind those last two, Dad said. But you will have to give him a name.I held the puppy at arms length to get a good look at him he continued to try to lick my face from a distance and wobbled in my beguile as his tails momentum moved him around. What are some good dog name calling? I asked.Spot. Rex. Fido. Champ, Dad said. Those are the banality names, anyway. Usually people try to go for something more memorable. When I was a peasant I had a dog my dad called Shiva, Destroyer of Shoes. But I dont think that would be appropriate in a community of former Indians. Maybe something else. He pointed to my elephant pendant. I notice you seem to be into elephants these days. You have a Ce leste. Why not call him Babar?From behind Dad I could see Jane look up from her reading to look at me, remembering what happened at the toy store, waiting to see how I would react.I burst out laughing.So thats a yes, Dad said, after a minute.I like it, I said. I hugged my new puppy, and then held him out again.Hello, Babar, I said.Babar gave a happy little utter and then peed all over my shirt.And thats the baloney of the jade elephant.