CHAPTER 14 – CHANGING COATS
Abigail heard footsteps approaching. “It’s probably Dad coming to get my tray for breakfast,” she thought. But when the figure came through the door, Dad wasn’t wearing his morning black pants and gray shirt. The figure had blue pants with a white shirt. Abigail sat up, ready to bolt. “Maybe it’s not Dad,” she thought.
“Relax Abigail, it’s just Dad,” said the familiar voice. It sounded like Dad. And as he got closer, she recognized him. So she relaxed and went back to her loaf position.
Humans confused Abigail. They were constantly changing their coats. Sometimes, multiple times in the same day! “Rabbits look the same all the time,” she thought. “If I’m a chestnut brown rabbit today, I’ll be a chestnut brown rabbit tomorrow. Even after I change coats, I still look the same! It’s not like when I change coats, I suddenly become a white rabbit!”
Abigail changed her coat twice a year. Large clumps of fur would fall out. She hated that time of year. Her nice smooth coat would look all mottled for a few weeks. Dad would laugh at her and say things like, “You look like you’re wearing a tutu.” She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it didn’t sound very flattering. Dad would try to help her out by pulling off the loose clumps of fur, but Abigail would just lunge at him and grunt. “The nerve. It’s MY fur! How dare he steal it.” So, Dad would pet her and gently scoop the loose fur off as he stroked her. Abigail was no dummy and would, without hesitation, give him the stink eye, as if to say, “I KNOW what you’re doing.”
As time went on, Abigail learned to recognize Dad by his voice and his walk. But Dad would announce his arrival anyway. “Hey Abigail. It’s just Dad.” To which Abigail thought, “It’s not JUST Dad. It’s DAD!”
After all, she loved him.
