Once very long ago there were only two kangaroos in the whole world, Mr. Kangaroo and Mrs. Kangaroo. Mr. Kangaroo was a very strong and big kangaroo. In fact, he used to be a boxer, but that is another story entirely. For this story is not about Mr. Kangaroo (though I will tell that story, just not right now). No, this story is about Mrs. Kangaroo. Mrs. Kangaroo was very kind, soft spoken, and excellent at keeping the house cleaned and in order. She could cook, sew, and clean beautifully, and Mr. Kangaroo loved her very much. There was just one problem. Mrs. Kangaroo was extremely forgetful.
When she would be making one of her special recipes such as Kangaroo Stew she would get distracted and the food would be ruined. This made everyone sad because Kangaroo Stew is quite the delicacy, and if you have never tried it you should. Obviously since it was made by kangaroos it has no kangaroo in it. Mr. Kangaroo did not mind as long as there was food on the table when he got home. Mrs. Kangaroo, however, was very worried since she was going to have a baby and she was afraid she might leave him somewhere and forget about him.
Mr. Kangaroo was of a different opinion and thought it would be pretty hard to forget about a baby, but Mrs. Kangaroo was still very worried and flustered.
One day Mr. Kangaroo suggested that she make a purse to carry the baby in. He later regretted that decision as Mrs. Kangaroo became so excited that she started on it immediately and completely forgot about lunch as she is wont to do. She worked on the purse till late in the evening when it was almost finished. Since she had been sewing all day and had not eaten lunch she grew very hungry and started rubbing her stomach while she wondered what to eat for dinner. As she did this, alas much to her dismay (and our amusement) she sewed the purse to her stomach. She was greatly distressed and kept saying, “What to do, what to do?” Then her husband made the very helpful and intelligent suggestion, “How about we eat dinner and take care of it tomorrow.” I do not know if she would have agreed and eaten dinner or if she would have kept on worrying for she had not the chance to do either. For in typical baby timing the baby came right then.
The baby then jumped right into the pouch as if it had done it a million times before. Mr. Kangaroo promptly pointed out that this way she could never forget the baby, and anyways they could work it out better on a full stomach. Mrs. Kangaroo agreed. In fact Mrs. Kangaroo was so delighted that the baby liked the pouch that she would have forgotten her dinner entirely, had Mr. Kangaroo not been there. So they ate and were very happy, Mr. Kangaroo in his big chair and Mrs. Kangaroo in her chair with little Joey (that was the baby’s name of course) in her pouch. That is why kangaroos have pouches.
