Today, my pet rabbit Luscious passed away.
I really don’t even have the right to call him ‘my pet’. He’s really been Fatima’s baby for the last several years. She’s the one who has played with him, fed him, given him water, and cleaned the poop from his fur when it got stuck there. She’s really been the one who was his companion and who he loved.
It’s been almost 10 years since my roommates from college came by with my birthday present, a cardboard box holding a little bunny. I don’t even recall wanting a rabbit, but we loved him as soon as we got him. I called him “Luscious” because our apartment nickname in college was “The Luscious Lolas of Elm” (don’t ask why). It was the perfect name for my little guy.
He was integrated into our family. My father built him his own little bunny hutch, which we were allowed to keep in the house. At first, he spent most his time in there. But we realized he was happiest when he was allowed to run around the house, exploring all over the place and causing trouble. He shorted out our stereo because he ate through the power cord, giving him a nice electric shock while doing it. I let him hide under my bed, until I found out he was building a little nest there - using some of my most expensive comic books. He became a house rabbit - allowed to roam around the house during the day and sleeping in his cage at night. His life changed when we got him his “whore”, a stuffed rabbit that he loved to hump. Oh, that Luscious, how he loved to hump! Anyone who has been to my house knows how funny (yet disturbing) it is to watch him hump. There’ve been times he’s humped so long he’s gotten tired and fallen off the whore. He’s humped legs, arms, heads, and various other things.
I remember how his little butt would twitch when he would eat his favorite treat - bananas. Once, I bought a bunny leash and tried to put it on him - bad idea! He hated the thing. I remember what a production it would be to cut his nails - one of us would hold him, another would cut his nails, and another would give him a treat after each cut. He had a favorite spot - right underneath our kitchen table. Most of his time was spent there. When he wasn’t there, he was in the living room lounging in the sidetable (as you can see in the picture above).
I remember when we got our dog Ewok. It was chaos at first. We had to keep them apart because Ewok always wanted to chase him. I don’t know how many times we found Ewok chewing on Luscious’ ear or with his Luscious’ head in his mouth. A common sound we heard was the pitter patter of paws on the floor as Ewok terrorized Luscious. But as time wore on, they learned to coexist. Sometimes I’d even find Luscious snuggling up to Ewok. Which of course never lasted because Ewok’s a spaz and he’s never in one place for long.
When he got a little older, he was moved to the basement, which became like his own little bunny apartment. I remember hearing him learn how to come up the stairs - I didn’t think he’d figure out to do it. Even funnier was listening to him go down the stairs - I don’t know if he mastered it - I had heard him go down and then a whole bunch of thumps which sounded like he just fell halfway down. I looked at the stairway and saw him at the bottom of the stairs, shaking his head and hopping away.
Near the end, he was almost blind and so skinny. He was content to stay in a little pen in the corner of the basement. The last time I saw him was on Christmas, and I wished him a merry Christmas.
In the last several years I didn’t give him the love that I should have. I was so involved with my own life that I didn’t have time to take care of him. At least he got the love of Fatima who cared and nurtured him in a way that I couldn’t.
So goodbye, little brother. I hope there’s a lot of bananas and real rabbit whores for you to hump up there in bunny heaven!
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While we’re on the theme, did anyone watch Grey’s Anatomy this week? I knew from the previews last week that it would be a very emotional episode for me, but I really wasn’t prepared for how much it would effect me. It was very hard to watch the end (and I’m going to spoil it right now so if you haven’t watched it, don’t read on) when they stopped the George’s dad’s life support. That scene just hit so close to home, in some ways it was as if I was reliving that day 3 years ago, standing near the bed and just waiting, waiting for the moment that we hoped would never come. Of course, I cried like a little baby when I watched.
My favorite part was what Christina had to say to George afterwards, when she welcomed him to “The Dead Dad’s Club”, a club that you can only enter and understand after the death of your father. A club that no one could ever comprehend until they are in it. I’ve often felt that way about my mother…I am touched by the support I’ve gotten from others, but the people who really understand are those in this club, the club that you wouldn’t wish for anyone to join.
*sigh*
I miss my baby.
Tags: Daily by Yano
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