Bunny
thirty-two
Aunt Sylvie pulled into the driveway. It was Sunday, and we were celebrating our birthdays today. Marlowe ran to the door, flinging it open and running outside. She squealed when she hugged Aunt Sylvie.
“Well, I know where we rank now,” I muttered, leaning over to Dexter as we watched the two women hug in the front yard.
“Lasagna’s done!” Dexter called from the kitchen as they walked in the front door.
Aunt Sylvie set her bag down. “Well, perfect timing then.” She wore black capris and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt. As we sat around the table, we told Aunt Sylvie about the Battle of the Bands shows. I left out the details of me being fucked up at the last show.
“I can get you some tickets to come back with me and the guys if you want.” Marlowe turned to face Aunt Sylvie with a huge smile on her face.
The older woman smiled and replied, “You fucking better, Mar. I’m not missing that.”
Dexter and Marlowe started to do the dishes while Aunt Sylvie and I took Dojo out back.
“Can I ask you something?” I watched as Dojo wandered out into the yard sniffing the grass.
Aunt Sylvie lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. “Of course, Wy.”
“What if I’m in love with them both?” I pulled a cigarette from the pack in my pocket and lit it, not taking my eyes away from Dojo in the yard.
Sylvie moved to face me, crossing her arms over her chest. “So what if you are?” She took a drag from her cigarette before she continued talking.
“Bunny, you’ve been through enough bullshit in your life to worry about whether or not you love those two perfect people in that house.
If it’s what you feel in your heart.” She poked her dark red painted fingernail at my chest. “Then it’s right. Fuck what anyone else says.”
“But what if…”
She cut me off. “But nothing, Wyatt. You can never know what will happen. You just have to find comfort in knowing it’s what’s right for you. Right?”
Nodding, I agreed with her. I knew she was right. I was almost there. I had almost found it.
When we walked back inside, Marlowe had pulled the cake out of the fridge and put twenty-four individual candles on it.
“A little much, don’t you think, groupie?” I teased as Marlowe adjusted one of the candles.
Aunt Sylvie smacked the back of my head lightly. “Leave her alone, Wyatt.”
“I put them all on there and I sure as hell am gonna light them all, so give me a minute.” We waited as Marlowe lit each candle.
All three of us offered to help, but she shooed us away each time.
Once they were all ablaze, wax was dripping all over the cake.
Marlowe began singing quickly. “Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday…” Aunt Sylvie joined in, and they finished singing to Dexter and me.
We blew out the candles and helped Marlowe pull them all out of the cake.
Dexter cut slices of the cake and put them on paper plates for us. We walked to the back porch and sat together on the chairs.
“Why do we only do dinners on Dex’s birthday and not yours too, Bunny?” Marlowe asked before taking another bite of her cake. “Yours is just in a couple of weeks.”
I nodded, swallowing the piece of cake I just ate.
“When I first met Dex, he invited me over here for his birthday party. I think we were like six or seven. I rode the bus home with him. It was a slumber party, and Aunt Sylvie drove me home the next day. I told Dex that night that I didn’t know when my birthday was.
My mom never told me, and I never had a party or presents, so being able to celebrate with my new best friend was so cool.
Dex shared his birthday with me that year and promised to forever.
Even after I found out when my birthday was, when I found my birth certificate and got my license.
I didn’t want to celebrate on my own. It didn’t feel right. ”
“The next year,” Aunt Sylvie spoke up after lighting a cigarette. “Dexter bought him this shirt. It had a hot pink bunny…”
Dexter stood up. “Okay, Sylvie, thank you so much for coming out. It’s getting late.”
“Dexter, sit down. Let her tell the story.” I said. It was the perfect opportunity to test the waters and see how Marlowe reacted to more about Dexter and my past.
Sylvie looked at Marlowe and smiled. “The next year Dexter saved all of his allowance before their birthday and bought Wyatt this expensive shirt from one of the trendy stores at the mall ten years ago. It had this crazy looking neon pink bunny on it. Dexter picked that one specifically because he knew Wyatt would like the bunny. He liked “cute and scary things,” is what Dexter said. When Wyatt opened that shirt, he fell in love with it.” Marlowe’s eyes widened, and she looked at the sleeve of the jacket she wore, my jacket.
“Dexter found the shirt a few years ago and brought it to me. We sewed that damn bunny on the jacket right there.” Sylvie pointed to the bunny stitched on the sleeve, and Marlowe lifted her arm.
Marlowe tilted her head and looked at me. “Is that why we call you Bunny?”
“I started calling him Bunny, and it was kind of a joke. But over time I just saw him as Bunny.” I looked at him while he spoke and turned to face me, placing a hand on my thigh.
“Other people just picked up on it, I guess, and now Syvie is the only one who really calls him Wyatt now. And me sometimes.” He winked at me.
He only called me Wyatt in bed, and it drove me fucking nuts in the best way.