Yochi winked. “Gee, thanks.”

Pessie put the box back into the shopping bag. Yochi was a riot, and good thing he’d spared her the humiliation and didn’t wait to present his gift in Sprig, the steakhouse they were heading to.

Were supposed to be heading to.

“Okay, okay.” Yochi sounded contrite. “You can stop thanking me now.” He stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out another box. A small one. The kind of box that could contain jewelry.

She opened this box carefully. “Wow,” Pessie whispered. “Just wow.”

It was a small gold heart pendant filled with diamond chips. “Wow,” Pessie repeated. “It’s… it’s stunning. Thank you, Yochi. Thank you so much.”

Yochi smiled.

Pessie gazed out the window as they eased left onto the I-278. She fingered the jewelry box in her lap, shifted uneasily and glanced at Yochi again.

Yochi was special. And unique. And funny. Which made her feel guilty for thinking her next thought, which was that sometimes his jokes went too far.

They’d planned their anniversary day two weeks ago. Yochi had left the firm early during peak tax filing season, his colleagues surely teasing him about using clout with his father-in-law boss to get whatever he wanted. Pessie had accomplished the impossible and found a babysitter willing to come at such a crazy hour.

They never went anywhere, they never had time for themselves. She fingered her new necklace and stole a glance at Yochi. He was so nice and thoughtful and innocent, but also so… argh. Where was he taking her? What was he thinking?

She found out what he was thinking 45 minutes later as the sign came into view. Safari Off-Road Adventure.

Her stomach sank as Yochi slowed down. They were going to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary in the company of animals.

She felt her husband’s eyes on her. He was expecting her to light up, to praise his creativity and thank him for the wonderful surprise.

“C-cute,” she managed. “I love animals.”

He beamed. Pessie stared ahead. She didn’t trust herself to open her mouth.

They reached the admissions booth and Yochi rolled down his window.

“Hey, guys, how ya’ doin’?” the booth manager called. “Do you have a reservation?”

“Yep,” Yochi said.

A reservation! How long had he been keeping this lovely secret?

The guy handed Yochi a brochure and a map, and then he started rattling off rules. “Five miles per hour speed limit, do not open windows, and do not feed or touch the animals.”

“How could we feed or touch the animals if the windows are closed?” Yochi sang in a gemara kashya tune.

“What was that?” the guy asked.

Yochi snickered. “Nothing, go on.”

The man continued. Animals had the right of way, always, no pets permitted inside cars. No parking or stopping other than yielding to animals. No smoking or littering.

Pessie was quiet as they followed the line of vehicles snaking toward the first exhibit. Some ostrich-like birds strutted around the fields and soon they encountered a pack of tired-looking bison.

“These guys are dangerous folks,” Yochi commented.

“They look pretty harmless to me.”

“You don’t want to meet one on the street, trust me. More people are injured in Yellowstone National Park every year by bison than by bears. They look like klutzes, because they’re so heavy, but they can easily outrun humans, and they’ll attack people when provoked. Call it a bite that’s louder than the bark.”

“Ha ha.”

They continued driving. “Roosevelt Elk,” Yochi read. “Hey, cool. You know these guys are possibly kosher?”

“What does that mean? Isn’t kosher a yes or no thing?”

“It’s a machlokas haposkim. Because they’ve got both simanim, but their tusks brings the kashrus into question. There’s a gemara—”

“How do you know all this stuff?” Pessie asked. “You should be a tour guide.”

Yochi turned around sharply, his eyes probing her face.

“What?” she asked. “What did I say?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “By the way, I bought some Danishes, if you’re hungry.” He motioned over his shoulder. “The bag in the car seat.”

Danishes, instead of rib steak. Pessie bit her lip. What was it about Yochi? He knew how to treat a wife — just look at this necklace — but really, which other guy took his wife to see animals on their anniversary instead of a restaurant?

Suddenly, a pair of elephants came into view.

“Elephants!” Yochi exclaimed. He unfolded his brochure, cleared his throat and adopted a tour guide’s voice.

“Our African section is home to some of the most impressive and endangered animals on the planet, with the African elephants and white rhinos chief amongst them. Our safari’s collectible pins benefit African elephants in the wild.”

“Now that’s an important cause,” Pessie said.

Yochi glanced in her direction. “Pessie, I want to show you something.”

She looked out the window. “Where?”

“Here, on my phone.”

He held out his phone, open to his photo gallery. “Take a look.”

Pessie scrolled through the images. There were pictures of elephants roaming a vast indoor area, people milling around and snapping pictures. “What in the world is this?”

“It’s a beautiful resort in Zambia. Elephants walk through the reception area on their way over to an orchard of mango trees.”

“Okaaaay… Interesting.”

“Very. I’d love to visit one day.”

“One day, sure. When we marry off our kids.”

“Pessie.”

“What?”

“I hate my job.”

“I know.”

“Pessie?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go?”

“Where, to Zambia? Sure, of course. Let’s stop off on our way home.”

Yochi folded the brochure and looked at her pensively. Behind them, a car honked. Yochi continued driving, past waterbuck and zebras and through a horde of giraffe where he had to stop as the long-necked animals crossed between cars.

“What if I can take you there?” Yochi asked. “Would you come?”

“To Zambia?”

“Yeah.”

Pessie shook Danish crumbs off her lap. “Yochi, are you nuts? Since when do we travel around the world to see elephants?”

“It’s a tour,” he said. “With a full entertainment program. Top tier kosher catering, shiurim by renowned speakers, a twenty-four hour tea room, a gym and a pool and spa. Wouldn’t you like that? For one week?”

“Of course I’d like that,” Pessie said. “Who wouldn’t?”

“So?”

There was something serious in his voice, almost pleading. Pessie pulled down the car visor mirror and started fixing her sheitel. “So keep dreaming,” she said. “You’re forgetting that we have a family? Jobs? A tight budget? Since when are we the type of people who go on exotic tours? Seriously, Yochi, you know what type of people go on these tours. We don’t live that kind of life.”

“But I’m telling you we could live that kind of life.”

“How exactly?”

“By facilitating it for others.”

Pessie snapped the mirror shut. “Okay, Yoch, you’re obviously trying to tell me something. Stop going in circles and tell me what it is.”

A giraffe ambled over, towering over their car.

“Okay,” Yochi said. “I got an interesting offer. And I’m itching to accept it.”

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 732)