I couldn’t believe Kyle told me to go to dinner with Carey. I figured they must’ve been really fighting over me. It sounded like friendly enough competition, right? Right? I was never in a love triangle— or love square, or whatever this was.
Sitting in my car, just after Kyle left, I was contemplating what to wear when Jackson called. I almost was afraid to answer. He had to be asking me out like the others. The question was, would I have to pick one over the other? I mean, if he asked me out to dinner, what was I going to say?
“Hey Jackson,” I greeted.
“Lexi, how are you this fine day?”
“Good, what’s up?”
“You wanna go to the zoo?”
That was an unexpected invitation.
“The zoo? When?”
“Today. Right now. I’m sponsoring a Save the Tigers exhibit there and I can get us backstage to see the cats before anyone else.”
“Oh, my God! I love tigers. I belong to a group that raises money to save— Wait a minute, did you read my network profile on the Sports Ring website?”
“Yes, but I still love animals. Why do you think I’m a vegetarian?”
“Is this a date?”
“Yes.”
“I have to tell you, I really want to come, but I just left a lunch date with Kyle.”
“That’s fine.”
“You’re cool with that?”
“Kyle’s one of my best friends. Of course I’m cool with that. You cool with a date? I mean, you didn’t marry him, did you?”
“You know what? I am cool with it. Why not? And also, I’m going on a date with Carey too.”
“Terrific. Meet me at the tiger cages at the zoo and bring your pith helmet.”
I drove to the outskirts of Philadelphia where the zoo was located. The entire ride I was psyching myself up. I mean, I was riding pretty high already, but I wanted to make sure all three first dates went well.
“Listen to you, three first dates. No man to speak of, now you’re juggling so many you’re going to need Google scheduler to keep them straight,” I said to myself in the car. “This must be what the guys feel like on the road with their football groupies. It’s weird, but it’s also pretty exhilarating to be in such demand!”
I parked my car and went inside. Jackson had arranged for me to be let in on a special pass. One of the zookeepers brought up to the tiger exhibit where Jackson was waiting for me.
“Thanks, Dave,” he said to the zookeeper. “Lexi, thanks so much for coming. You look amazing. Did you get your hair done?”
“No, but thank you,” I said. “I’m getting a lot of compliments today.”
“I’ll bet you get a lot of compliments every day,” replied Jackson.
“What got you into animal conservation?”
“Growing up on a farm, I was around animals all the time,” he explained. “You get to know them. They have real emotions and personality up close. People that don’t see animals every day forget that.”
“I know, right? It’s like they see them as props in a movie or in their lives.”
“My dad always raised me to protect the weak. Animals can’t protect themselves in the modern world. It’s up to people like us to do it.”
God, he was like a modern day Tarzan. Built like one too!
We went into the tiger enclosure. The big cats were lounging around. A mother tiger was playing with her cubs.
“These cubs were born here not too long ago. It cost a zoo a fortune for the breeding program,” explained Jackson. “And as nice as this enclosure is, it’s not nearly big enough. In the wild, tigers roam 30 miles a day. Philadelphia has a great program, but the zoo is old and it needs more space.”
“You gonna buy up half of Philadelphia and knock it down?” I joked.
“It’s not such a crazy idea,” said Jackson. “There are something like 40,000 abandoned properties in Philadelphia alone.”
“Are you saying that with the right kind of city planning, they can build a tiger preserve here?”
“Why not? All it takes is money and the will,” said Jackson. “Maybe it’s not feasible, but if no one suggests it, we’ll never know.”
“You’re optimism is contagious, Jackson,” I said, smiling.
“Well, I’ve come a long way,” he explained. “My folks sacrificed everything so I can be here.”
“Family means a lot to you, huh?”
“Family is everything. You know what I’m saying. You sacrificed to help your dad.”
“Yeah. I almost feel guilty having my own place now.”
“How’s he getting on?”
“He’s good. After a few years, practice in the wheelchair, adding the ramp—
he gets around pretty good in his neighborhood. My cousins check in on him regularly now that I’m working full time.”
“You miss him?”
“Yeah, but we talk every week. You talk to your parents?”
“Oh, jeez, if I didn’t call my mom on Sundays, I’d never hear the end of it!” laughed Jackson.
“She a church goer?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“My dad too. I never thought about those traditional values when I was growing up, but a lot of people these days don’t have them.”
“I don’t know about that. I think there are a lot of ways of looking at the world. Each person looks at it a little differently.”
“I guess as long as you’re living your life and not hurting anyone.”
“Or the tigers,” he added. “Take a look at this tiger over here. He’s a Southern China tiger. It’s one of the rarest in the world.”
“Wow, I’ve heard about them. No more in the wild, right?”
“Hasn’t been one seen in the wild in 25 years. The only ones that exist are being bred, mostly in Chinese zoos, but we’ve got this one. That’s where a lot of the fundraising money is going.”
“It’s so great you’re using your money to do this. Did you get other members of the team to kick in?”
“I tried. Carey and Kyle made a donation. Not Ringo, of course,” Jackson explained. “Unfortunately, most of the rest of the guys on the team are too caught up in their careers or their lives to care. It’s only when they come to a place like this or hear something on TV that they become even remotely aware.”
We walked around the tiger exhibit. The Philadelphia Zoo had a giant habitrail-type enclosure that allowed some of the tigers to roam the park in giant gated tubes. (Just like gerbils, if gerbils could eat you.)
Jackson showed off another tiger. This one was an Amur tiger otherwise known as a Siberian Tiger.
“He’s seven years old and three hundred pounds,” said Jackson proudly. “They’re just amazing animals. Fit. In their prime, there’s nothing that can stop them.”
“You admire them.”
“I do. I mean, as an athlete, I spent my life toning and pushing my body to the limit. But the tiger? He’s just born that way. Fast. Strong. His natural gifts are everything I had to work for my entire life.”
“Only you don’t rip out the throat of an antelope. You don’t right?”
“Vegetarian,” said Jackson, pointing to himself and reminding. “If anything, I’d make the tastiest meal to that tiger. Vegetarians are the healthiest and tastiest food.”
“How the heck do you manage that?” I had to ask. “I mean, you have to work out, right?”
“I eat a ton of burritos,” said Jackson. “You stuff enough black beans in anything, you hardly miss the meat. Plus I’ve never been healthier.”
“And yet, you admire the tigers who eat nothing but meat,” I pointed out.
“Eating a fresh kill. Kind of a different experience, I’m imagining,” said Jackson. “I mean, back in the day I had some beef tartar. It’s not like eating the cooked stuff.”
“I could never give up Five Guys or Jim’s Steaks,” I admitted. “Sorry.”
“Nah, it’s okay,” assured Jackson. “Vegetarianism isn’t for everyone. I knew some guys back in college that tried it, but didn’t get enough protein. That’s dangerous. It can mess you up.”
“That’s what I like about you, Jackson,” I said. “You’re always looking out for people.”
“Hey, you want to feed one of the tigers?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Nah, I’ve done it. C’mon!”
The zookeepers had fresh meat butchered just for the tigers. They were placed in bloody buckets and then dumped in a trough. But the tigers had a pack mentality, so they would each grab their portion and drag it off somewhere to eat it. With the tigers sectioned off in a different part of the enclosure. I dumped the bloody meat for them in the trough with the other zookeepers. It was kinda of gross, but Jackson cheered me on.
“This is enough to make me consider becoming a vegetarian,” I admitted. “Was that your goal?”
But Jackson was looking frantic now. “Hurry up, Lexi! They let one of the tigers in already.”
I squealed and started running for the exit, but the zookeeper assured me Jackson was just kidding. I got outside and got cleaned up and met Jackson. We talked as the tigers devoured the meat.
“Very funny,” I told him, and he laughed.
“Sorry, couldn’t stop myself.”
“I can’t help but notice you didn’t come into the enclosure with me,” I said.
“Are you kidding? Feeding tigers is a bloody mess. Besides, I already did it once and that was enough.”
“You’re telling me,” I laughed. “This may really put me off of meat forever!”
In the enclosure the seven year-old Amur Tiger tore into a side of beef. Blood soaked the fur on his face as he tore into the flesh with his teeth. In the wild, this would’ve been a hunt lasting for hours. In the zoo, feeding time happened the same time every day; basically like prison.
Finally, it was time to open the exhibit to the waiting public. Dozens of people lined up around the edge of the enclosure to see the tigers. Children pointed, adults explained and everyone gasped as one of the tigers roared. If more people could see these magnificent beasts, maybe they wouldn’t be so endangered.
Jackson and I held hands and walked around the rest of the zoo. They had an amazing Reptile house full of snakes, lizards and other animals I wouldn’t want to find in my bed. Jackson seemed pretty knowledgeable about them too.
“Did you ever think about starting your own zoo?” I asked him. “You could be like the next Steve Irwin.”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” admitted Jackson. “But I think the real work in conservation is being done in the animals’ natural habitat. Cages, enclosures— these are things of the past. Zoos are going to have to expand to enormous sizes or take their money to the natural habitats. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t in America,” he admitted.
“Yes, but if people don’t see the animals,” I pointed out. “How are they supposed to get excited about conservation in the first place? You said it yourself, you have to see them every day.”
“Point taken, but the Internet is a window to that. Think about it. With just a click on your computer or phone, you can see video from anywhere in the world, including Africa, China, Siberia— wherever the tigers roam.”
“I suppose it might help the tigers,” I admitted. “But seeing them on a computer screen just isn’t the same. That tiger roar scared the living hell out of me.”
“I know right? Imagine walking through the jungle and hearing that? You’re dead!”
“I guess it does make sense when you think about it,” I admitted. “Seems a shame to lock up some of these tropical creatures in the winter.”
“Yeah and one accident they can all die,” said Jackson. “A few years back, the zoo had a terrible fire in the primate exhibit. They lost a bunch of animals.”
“Then again, poaching in their natural habitat is a huge problem they can’t control,” I pointed out. “What about that?”
“Well, it’s a complicated issue. I mean, conservation is need, captive breeding programs are needed and zoos are still needed too. Maybe someday we’ll figure it all out. Maybe the tiger habitrail will extend all the way around the city.”
“So, you’re just walking along South Street and bam. Tiger?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, it would give the tiger a chance to smell some delicious steaks from Jim’s.”
As we walked the zoo, we found a dark secluded spot. Jackson took me by the hand and looked deep in my eyes. Nothing was said. There didn’t have to be anything said. He kissed me and again, I was reeling.
Time stopped. The kiss washed over me and I felt safe, warm and alive. Jackson’s musclely arms held me close. With him I could face anything. Like a tiger, he was strong, fast and unstoppable.
“I’m retiring after this season,” he suddenly said. “Please don’t report it.”
“If you don’t want me to report it, why are you telling me?” I asked.
“I just want you to know that in a few months I’m going to be around, ya know? I’m not going to be caught up in practice and going to games. My life is going to be more like this, I think.”
“Hanging out in zoos?”
“Yeah and with animals. Speaking of which…”
A group of photographers had found us. They were snapping pictures. Jackson took my hand and guided me away from them.
“C’mon, I know a short cut,” he assured me.
We rushed over the penguin exhibit. Jackson took a secret entrance to the backstage part. Inside, the zookeepers were tending to some of the penguins. The funny little birds were happy to see people and flapped their little wings in delight.
“Now there’s a pet I’ve wanted since I was a kid,” admitted Jackson. “How cool would it have been to own a penguin?”
“Oh, but you couldn’t, right?”
“No, of course not, but it would be cool, right? Having him walk around and follow you?”
“It would be. Guess you’d have to live in Alaska or something so you’d be in his habitat.”
We snuck out of the penguin habitat. We saw the paparazzi waiting outside. Fortunately, they were distracted by some tigers in the habitrail above. The entire crowd was watching them. It was if the tigers were helping us escape. Making our way outside, we reached my car.
Sitting inside the front seat, I started the car and turned on some music. It set the mood and the next thing I knew, we were making out again. Again, I saw stars. How could this be happening? How could I be falling for two men at the same time? Yet, I couldn’t deny what I was feeling. Jackson and Kyle both made me feel great in different ways.
“I don’t know if I can do this, Jackson,” I said, finally pulling away breathlessly.
“How can I date you and Kyle at the same time? And I have a dinner with Carey tonight!”
“It’s fine, we’re okay with it,” assured Jackson. “Look, we’ve all been around the block.”
“I haven’t,” I admitted. “I’m a virgin.”
“Oh, well that’s nothing to be ashamed of,” said Jackson. “And it’s not like you’re a hermit. You meet people and get to know them. That’s all this is right now. Just getting to know us.”
“So it’s not special?”
“I didn’t mean it that way. You are special to me,” said Jackson genuinely. “Look, what I was saying before— I’m retiring from the game. I’m looking to find some one. Get into a real relationship, you know? I just want you to know that you’re definitely my type. I really think that person could be you. I want it to be you.”
“This is a lot to process for a first date!”
“I know and I didn’t want to come on so strong, but— I’m a competitor. Me and the guys, we’re friends but we like to compete. I just like to have all my cards out on the table. But there’s no pressure, honestly.”
“I haven’t had a lot of relationships. What about you?”
“A few,” he admitted. “Couple of long term ones, but no one that really got me, ya know? I mean, I’m a jock an a vegetarian. A lot of women can’t wrap their head around that. They expect me to be something I’m not.”
“I know right? People put you in this box and when you don’t perfectly conform to what they expect, they freak out,” I said.
“That happened a few times. I was seeing this girl for a year and she used to get pissed when I spent time with animals or doing conservation. She actually said that she thought I was only doing it to impress her!”
Jackson was so thoughtful and nice. I couldn’t bare it if I ended up hurting him.
“So you guys are all gonna be cool with me dating all three of you? What about the Tina situation?”
“That was all Ringo, I promise you,” assured Jackson. “Maybe I’ll explain it to you some time. But, these guys and I are friends. Plus, we all like you, so take your time.”
“And, oh my God!” I said, suddenly remembering.
“What?” asked Jackson.
“I totally forgot the playoffs. You guys are in the playoffs! I don’t want to be the Yoko Ono that made the Sea-Eagles lose their chance at the Super Bowl. My dad would never forgive me,” I laughed.
“Trust me, we’re not going to blow the game over you,” assured Jackson. “If anything, I think you’ll make us play better. Sometimes on the field, you get so caught up in the game. You need a life outside of all that.”
“You swear?”
“I promise,” assured Jackson, edging closer to me.
He pulled me in for another kiss. Nothing but sparks. We kissed for a long time in the car. The windows steamed and Jackson’s hands traveled up and down my body. I explored his with my hands as well. I took stock of every muscle. It was getting a little too hot. I backed off.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, a little out of breath.
“It’s just that I don’t want to get caught in the parking lot,” I said. “Those camera guys are bound to catch up to us sooner or later. Plus…”
“You have to get ready for your date with Carey?”
“Yeah, sounds even weirder when you say it.”
“Honestly, it’s not a problem. I’m going to win your heart fair and square.”
“That’s just what Kyle said!”
“Great minds think alike,” he said getting out the car. “I’ll call you. Have a nice dinner.”
“I will, say good bye to the tigers for me?”
“I will,” he said walking away. “And roll down your windows. You might want to let out all that sexy steam.”
I laughed. What a jokester. It was easy to laugh around Jackson. But the question was, could I really juggle three guys at the same time?