CHAPTER 5: “MAY I CALL YOU DAD?”
Abigail looked at the man, high above her on the couch. It had been over a month since she came to live with him, but she still wasn’t sure what to make of him. He seemed nice. He always spoke to her gently. He brought her lots of hay and greens. He cleaned her bathroom. But he always wanted to pet her. Could she trust him? She knew there was only one way to find out. She was going to have to get up close and personal.
She hopped onto a cushion beside the couch to take a closer look. She was 2 lbs of rabbit, and felt awfully small. He seemed to loom over her. “One wrong step, and he could smoosh me,” she thought to herself. The man looked over at her. Shyly, she turned her back to him, not wanting him to catch her looking. “Really, Abigail?” he asked, “Are you ever going to warm up to me?”
Abigail thought about it for a few minutes. He had a point. She turned around to face him. The man looked over and said, “Well, that’s better.” She hopped up to the edge of the couch and put her front paws up on the couch and stared at him. The man looked down at her and smiled. “Hello there,” he said.
It was now or never. Every hour, every breath of her life had led to this moment. Abigail took a deep breath, screwed up all the courage she could muster, and leapt right onto the couch. It was scary being so far off the ground. But she was a brave and determined girl. The man looked surprised. Abigail cautiously crawled up his arm and gave him a nose bump – the bunny equivalent of stealing a kiss. Nose-to-nose, they looked into each other’s eyes. She felt so vulnerable. With one move, he could easily toss her off the couch. But the man just smiled.
“May I call you Dad?” she asked.
Looking into her eyes, the man replied, “You know Abigail, before I adopted you, I made a commitment.
I promised I’d always take care of you.
I promised I’d make this place your home.
I promised I would make you a priority and spend time with you.
And I promised I would love you. Forever.”
At that moment, she knew she could trust him.
She was right.
