Second Tour

While my husband packed to fly back to Vietnam, this time as a tourist instead of a soldier, I drove to the zoo to say goodbye to the musk oxen who were being shipped out early next morning to Tacoma. We were getting lions instead. When I got there, it was too easy to park. The zoo was closing early so they wouldn’t let me in. I went back to my car and slid into the driver’s seat. Sobs tore from deep in my chest, I who had never seen a musk ox and never cared until now.