Bunnies
“Claire, Claire, I got a bunny!” my cousin Paula exclaims, practically bouncing from excitement. “Wanna see it?”
The rabbit is small and seems a little scared to have two giants standing over it. But when I pick it up, its fur is the softest thing I have ever felt. It clings to me. Is it scared of heights?
“He likes you!”
I imagine her cuddling him, treating him like one of her baby dolls. Dressing him up, painting his nails with pet-friendly nail polish.
I put him back into his cage. He scurries back into his tiny cardboard house, safe at last.
“Selena got one too. Papa says he’s going to get the two of them together so they can have baby bunnies.”
“Really?” I reply, surprised.
“Yeah! We get to keep them for a while, but
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I wonder, doesn’t he long for a taste of freedom?
My cousin is only 10, I hope she doesn’t want to be there when the rabbits are put together.
“Do you think we can watch?”
Great.
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The big day arrives. All the kids in the neighborhood gather in the yard around the two-story cage that is as long as I am tall. There is Paula who is 10, her friend Selena who is also 10, a three-year-old boy, a girl my age, and me.
Selena’s father arrives with the second rabbit.
“They're gonna fight for a bit first, to see who’s boss. After that is settled they are going to like each other. Then the babies appear. Who are you rooting for?” My cousin asks us. “I’m rooting for my bunny, he’s the boy so he’s in charge.”
“I’m rooting for my bunny, she’s bigger and stronger and older.” Selena says.
I glance over at the other girl my age. We silently say the same thing. They're about to learn a lot about the world that they didn't know before.
Full of anticipation, we open the cage and close it quickly after Selena’s Rabbit goes in. Five kids and 3 adults staring into the cage. So much for privacy for the poor