WHERE’S MY BUNNY?
Many times it’s best to keep some things private. I learned this the hard way when my close girlfriend found my security bunny (that’s the name the manufacturer gave this item) after I spent the night at her place.
This small blanket shaped like a bunny has been my bedtime friend since I was born almost 24 years ago. Over my early years, my bunny was replaced at least five times after it was lost or it shredded after numerous trips to the washing machine. The one I still have is the very last one my mom got for me and, luckily, it has survived the years. (The survival is because I long ago gave up sucking my thumb while running my fingers along the bunny’s satin edging. Since elementary school, the bunny’s sole job has been to rest under my pillow.)
Having this bunny with me provides me with comfort. Because of this, I often put it in my overnight bag or suitcase when I’m away from home. Most times it stays in the bag or suitcase. Just knowing it’s there is all I need. Somehow my bunny escaped from my bag at my friend’s house. My secret was out and now my friend shows me no mercy. Luckily, she hasn’t shared my secret with others, but she is relentless in her teasing.
“Is bunny going out with us tonight?” she’ll ask as we’re getting ready for a night out. “Where’s bunny when we need him?” she’ll say when we’re at a party where we don’t know many guests. (I guess she wants comfort, too!)
Recently my friend and I went on a vacation to Florida. Bunny, of course, was in my suitcase. When I gave her permission to borrow some suntan lotion, which was in my suitcase, she discovered bunny. For the rest of the vacation, I’d find my lifelong bedtime buddy in various locations in the room. It made a trip to the bathtub; I found it reading the Gideon Bible; it hung one day from the overhead light; it was hidden all balled up in one of my bras. At first, the bunny’s sittings were amusing. Then they started to get old. Enough was enough!
I never meant for my bunny to make public appearances. It was meant only to be what its name implied: my little sense of security. Now that I’m all grown up it was time for bunny to retire to a box and be put away and saved to show my future children. And that’s exactly what happened to my security bunny when I returned home from my trip. (It nice to know, however, that bunny is just a few steps away in my closet!)