He was so excited to open the card board box with holes punched into the top and show me what he had caught. A baby rabbit sat terrified inside the box. Wise Guy kept him for a few hours and we talked about how the baby needed his mommy and returned him to the same place in the field where he had found him. Later, we checked to make sure the little bunny had found it's way back home. From that day on, Wise Guy has been begging for a pet rabbit. Just like every kid, he promised to take great care of the bunny, give it water and food daily and love it forever. My hubby can't say no to these sweet smiles so they came home with "Clover."
Wise Guy was thrilled to have a new buddy. After dinner, he and Whopper were on the porch playing with the bunny as we cleaned up the kitchen. When we checked on them, we found Wise Guy wailing on his swing. The bunny had hopped off the porch and by the time the boys ran around to get him, he had disappeared. Surely, the tiny bunny couldn't have moved very fast or very far so we set out to find him. With one weeping child, a baby on my hip and an excited two year old we searched into the night. The whole time, Whopper never stopped talking, "Bun Bun! Whaya is Bun Bun? He shuwd be home fow dinnaw soon! Bun Bun!..." Bun Bun never came home for dinner. So we reassured Wise Guy that it wasn't his fault and Clover was living with all of the other bunnies in the woods. The next day we drove back to Schuyler to buy another bunny.
The Bunny Man was very understanding of our situation. He sold us a second bunny, "Little Clover" who looks exactly like the first bunny, only smaller. Bunny Man explained that this bunny was the runt and needed special attention because he was more fragile. With this in mind we headed home with plans to take especially good care of "Little Clover." We talked on the way home about how things aren't always replaceable and if something happened to this bunny we wouldn't get another one. Wise Guy has been obsessed with the little guy, carrying him all over the farm, taking him to do chores and to the shop. He never puts him down in the grass and makes sure to stop and give him water throughout the day. The little bunny never leaves his sight unless he is securely locked in his cage.
Tonight, we headed to Applebee's for dinner to take advantage of their kids eat free night. Luckily, Wise Guy passed out on the way home and was carried inside so he didn't have to see what we saw. When we went to check on the bunny, we found a black snake in his cage instead of a bunny! I can't believe it! The hubby and I wanted to cry about the bunny and about the devastation our son was going to endure. How can we possibly explain to our son that a snake ate his bunny? Clearly, this s a situation that calls for a white lie. So we searched online and found Bunny Man's phone number and called him even though it was nearly 10pm. Hubby arranged to be at Bunny Man's house at 5:40am to buy a third bunny and return it to the cage before the boys wake up. He has nearly 300 bunnies but doesn't have another small blue and white one so this one will be a little larger. We plan to tell Wise Guy he has been taking such good care of his bunny that it grew into a bigger bunny.
I must admit, I originally thought a man who has 300 bunnies must be a little strange. But Bunny Man has been very understanding and incredibly kind to us. Now, I would hate to know what Bunny Man thinks of the family who comes back for their 3rd bunny in 3 days! I'm hoping this goes well and praying our 3rd bunny is a keeper.
