Chapter Nine
Beck
“I’m so excited, Daddy. I’ve never colored Easter eggs before.
” Daddy was taking so long to put the plastic on the table though.
He said the dye would ruin the wood if he didn’t.
He dropped a colored pill into each of the disposable cups and added vinegar to them and they fizzled away. “Smells like stinky feet.”
Daddy laughed. “Yes, it does, but it’s fun to do.
Let me show you another trick.” He opened a box of the super waxy cheapy crayons he bought just for this.
“Write or draw on the egg first then use the bendy metal holder like this and dip it into the color you want. When you pull it out, voila, you can read the crayon parts. They don’t dye. ”
“Ooohhh, that’s so cool. What are the tiny stickers for?” I didn’t want to use them on the eggs, at least not the cute bunny ones. I wanted to save them for the pictures I made for Daddy.
“For the eggs too, if you want. Then we punch out the cutouts out on the back of the box and set the eggs in the holes to dry. One of the fun things Mom used to do after we found them all was make deviled eggs and potato salad with them. The eggs that cracked made it fun because they’d be striped all kinds of colors.
It was silly, but Karlie and I thought it was awesome to eat frilly colored eggs in the dishes. ”
“That does sound fun. Did any of ours crack when you boiled them?” I was excited for colorful potato salad and deviled eggs were the best, colored or not.
“Hmm, one or two, but who’s to say we couldn’t crack some more and make a game of it.” Sometimes I think Daddy had a bit of a little or maybe a middle in him too, because he had just as much fun playing as I did.
“Look, if you dip it halfway in one color then flip it over and put it in another you can make one egg two colors.”
Yup, Daddy was reliving his childhood, and it was too cute.
We colored a dozen eggs. Some were super pretty while others, not so much, but Daddy said they all tasted the same, so it didn’t matter. Carefully, Daddy slid the paper trays into the fridge so the eggs wouldn’t get yucky.
“How about pizza and a movie tonight?” Daddy suggested.
“Yes, please.”
“Always so polite. Okay, wash your hands then pick a movie while Daddy cleans up and orders dinner.”
“Can we get salad too? I like dipping my pizza in the dressing.”
“Absolutely, Bunny.”
“Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail,” I sang as I hopped to the bathroom and washed my hands, then into the living room. “Hmm, what to watch.”
A few minutes later, Daddy came in. “What did ya pick, Bunny.”
“We’ll start with the old cartoon, The First Easter Rabbit. Then Zootopia!” I cheered, even though I’d seen it like twenty times.
“Sounds like an ideal Easter Eve.”
Did he just make that up? “Silly Daddy, is that even a real thing?”
“Did you just roll your eyes at your Daddy?” he tsked. “That calls for a tickly punishment.”
Daddy tickled and I giggled until my face hurt and thankfully the doorbell rang before I ran out of breath.
“Pizza time!” Daddy returned a few minutes later with the pizza box. “Pizza party in the living room. Slide on over, baby boy, we’re eating out of the box tonight.” This side of Daddy was too much fun.
“Let me grab our drinks and bowls for the salad and I’ll be right back, Bunny.”
I snuck a pepperoni and munched on it while I waited.
“Sneaky boy. Here we go.” Daddy loaded up a bowl of salad and poured some dressing in a dippy dish for me. “Special treat tonight, soda in your sippy cup.”
“Yay!” This was my version of a party. Just me and Daddy and a movie.
“Daddy,” I shook him. “There’s a noise outside. I’m scared.”
“Huh, what?” Daddy let out a big yawn. “Let me take a peek, you stay here.” He wandered over to the window and looked outside really quick, then tip-toed back to the bed. “It’s the Easter bunny. Stay here or they may leave you rocks instead of treats.”
Shoot, now I was so excited there was no way I was going back to sleep.
“Bunny, are you being naughty?”
“No, Daddy, but I’m all fidgety now. I wanna see the Easter Bunny.”
“Sweetheart, they are much like Santa, and if you peek it makes you naughty. You’re not a naughty boy, you’re Daddy’s good boy. Come on, let’s get a quick nap in while they work.”
“’Kay.” But I wasn’t happy about it.
My feet moved like I was running in bed, my body wiggled and I huffed until Daddy got frustrated.
“Alright, enough. We’ll go down and have breakfast, but you are not under any circumstance allowed to look outside until I say so. Understood?”
Dang it, Daddy was really mad at me. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I promise.”
“Alright. Let’s get you into your bunny costume and you can have your Easter basket from Daddy.”
“I get a basket from Daddy too? I thought it was just from the bunny, and we found eggs and stuff.”
“Yes, my spoiled Bunny. Daddy made you a special basket just from him. Now, let’s get you dressed.
” I was out of bed and stripped down before Daddy got up.
“While that’s a glorious sight for this Daddy to see, I have to ask if you snuck out of bed and raided the snack drawer while daddy slept, because you’ve got a whole lot of energy. ”
I giggled and wiggled. “Nope, just super excited is all.”
As soon as Daddy got me zipped up, I hopped around the room. “Look Daddy, I’m the Easter Bunny.”
“You’re the Easter something for sure,” Daddy chuckled. “Let’s hop your little fuzzy butt down the hallway and get some food in your tummy.”
“Hoppity-hop-hop,” I sang as I hopped down the hall.
“It’s Easter!” My first celebrated one aside from the family I lived with that made me go to their crazy church on Easter Sunday.
Heck, every Sunday they made me, and some of the people and the Pastor there were mean.
Glad I never came out to them. They threatened to cast us aside and free the demons, as they called those of us who were deemed different, and exorcise them from our bodies.
If that’s the kind of God they worshipped, it wasn’t a God for me.
No thank you.
There’s nothing wrong with being gay and there’s nothing wrong with me.
“What was that huff for, Bunny?”
“Just thinking about a not-so-great time from my past and realizing how wrong things they said and did were.”
“Good for you. Don’t let anyone tell you to change a thing. You’re perfect just the way you are.” That called for a big bunny hug. “I love you, Bunny.”
“I love you, Daddy. Ohhh, Easter basket.”
Daddy laughed. “Oh, how quickly the moment changed. Dig into it while Daddy fixes breakfast, but remember your promise to not peek outside.”
“I remember, but the Easter Bunny sure is noisy.” There was lots of banging going on. Sounded like she had a whole team of bunnies out there. What were they up to?
“Yay! A chocolate bunny, mmm, crunchy chocolate eggs,” I nibbled one while Daddy wasn’t looking. “What’s in the plastic eggs?” I shook one and listened then popped it open. “Cute tiny figurines. Thank you, Daddy.”
“Happy Easter, my love. There’s more so keep digging.”
New coloring books and coloring pencils, tiny erasers for the ends of them in different animal shapes and more plastic figurines for my playroom shelf. This was so much fun.
I lined up the figures in front of me and chose a picture to color for Daddy from my new Easter themed coloring book. Concentrating hard, I didn’t notice Daddy beside me until he moved my book aside and replaced it with a plate full of silly bunny shaped pancakes.
“Yummy, sprinkles and fun foamies.”
“Yes,” Daddy grinned. “Fun foam in the form of whipped cream. Eat up, I think we can go hunt for eggs in a few minutes.”
I shoveled my food in like it was my last meal.
“Breathe and chew, Beck. Doing the Heimlich on Easter isn’t on my Bingo card.”
Huh? “Are we playing Bingo, Daddy?”
“No, sweet boy. It’s just a silly saying. But slow down and take your time. I promise the eggs will be fine.”
But would they really be?
“Well, Bunny,” Daddy wiped me down. “I’m happy to report you kept the mess to your face and hands and none of your food landed on your costume.”
“Whew, I’d be sad if it got ruined. Jobe worked really hard on it.”
“Yes, he did. Empty out your basket while Daddy loads the dishwasher so you can put the eggs in it. Then it’s Easter egg hunt time.”
“Yay!” I dumped the basket over and chased the plastic eggs that rolled off the table then stood by the backdoor with it and waited. And waited. And… “Daddy, hurry.”
That was naughty but Daddy didn’t call me out on it. He dried his hands and met me at the door. “Are you ready, Bunny?”
“Daddy, you know I am.” My legs were silly and hopping up and down. “I can’t control my feet’s. They want to rrruuunnn.”
He whipped the curtain back and I froze.
“Daddy,” I gasped. “The Easter bunny did all of this?”
“With some help.” He opened the door and I ran outside and right to my new playground.
“I have a jungle gym, and a swing, and a giant sandbox around it. The Easter bunny is magic just like you, Daddy.”
“I’m glad you think so. Now, you’ve got a dozen eggs to find. Ready, set, goooo!”
I ran around the yard, giggling as I pulled the eggs from their hidey spots.
They were in the plants, the top of my slide, the end of the bar on the swing set.
Daddy had to get that one down for me, it was too high.
One floated on a raft in the pool like it was having the time of its life. They were everywhere.
“One, two,” I started counting the basket.
“If my calculations are right, you have one more to find.”
“Daddy, you’re so smart. Okay little eggy, come out, come out wherever you are.
” I went through all the plants again, nothing.
I flipped up the cushions on the chairs, nothing.
There was only one place left to look. “There you are!” I snagged the final blue egg from the storage bin where Daddy kept the pool towels.
“Silly egg. Daddy, can we make ‘tato salad and devily eggies please?”