Chapter 104 - Big Girl Ears
“Outside the rain begins
And it may never end
So cry no more
On the shore
A dream
Will take us out to sea
Forever more
Forever more”
The Rita Coolidge song played softly in the background as Dad and Merlot stared out the window at the rain. It came in waves. Sometimes, it was light. Sometimes, it poured, like tears from heaven. Just like the waves of sadness.
Dad struggled to comprehend the loss of Enzo. “Merlot, I just don’t understand. He seemed perfectly healthy when I took him to the vet. How could he be gone a week later?” They did everything they could to try and save him, but in the end, it didn’t matter. There was nothing that anyone could do fix his kidney failure. No amount of second-guessing could change that. Enzo lived a happy life until his body gave out. It was just his time.
Sometimes, Dad would see Merlot and expect Enzo to be right beside her, but he wasn’t. A wave of desperation of wanting him back would wash over him. The depth of his sadness was a reflection of the immense love he felt for Enzo. His rabbit friends understood.
Dad lamented to Merlot, “He was only five years old. I thought he’d be here with us for many more years. All the days we’ll never have.” Merlot reminded him, “But our hearts are filled with all the days we had, Dad. We were lucky to have him grace our lives.” Dad agreed, “You’re right, Merlot.”
Merlot hated to see Dad so sad. She remembered her promise to Enzo – that she would take care of Dad. For as long as she had lived at the House of Buns, she was happy to follow Enzo around and be his shadow. Now it was time for her to come out of the shadows. She stepped up her game and put on her “big girl ears.” Whenever Dad was in the living room or at his desk, she would sit nearby to keep him company. Instead of retreating to the bedroom for her afternoon nap, she stayed in the living room to be near Dad. She resisted her instinct to run off when he wanted to pet her and relaxed and stayed in place. She even let him pick her up for a hug. To cheer him up, she’d run zoomies around him. She liked how it made him smile. She kept up her duties as Head Treat Beggar. And she kept her territory marked every night, just like Enzo had taught her.
As Dad petted her, she thought, “Don’t worry, Dad. It will be OK. I’ll take care of you.” Dad asked Merlot, “Do you want a new boyfriend?” Merlot thought, “No, not right now, anyway. I asked Enzo to send us another bun like him if somebun needed help. It will happen when it happens. In the meantime, we can be closer, like you and Abigail were when she was your only bun.”
That melted Dad’s heart. As he petted Merlot, he said, “Thanks for taking care of me, Merlot. I’m sure Enzo is very proud of you.”
In lieu of flowers, Enzo requested that a donation be made to The Rabbit Haven rabbit rescue, who helped Dad get him out of the shelter: https://www.therabbithaven.org/donate
Please follow up with an email to Auntie Heather at director@therabbithaven.org to let her know that your donation was in honor of Enzo.
If you wish to send a message to Dad and/or Merlot, you can send an email through Belinda at Belinda@smallpetselect.com
Merlot puts on her "big girl ears" and takes care of Dad.
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