“Bunnies!” exclaimed Oma as she wheeled from the “wine and beer” section of the grocery store to where the gift bags were located.
In just 49 days, it would be Easter. Seasonal goods had shifted from red and pink to soft pastels. Spring tablecloths, napkins, mugs, vases, greeting cards, baskets and phony grass now filled the shelves. “I must buy bunnies!” thought Oma decisively. “Opa will be so happy.”
Indeed, Opa would be. Very few purchases had ever not made Opa happy, so buying chocolate bunnies 49 days before they were needed was a done deal.
Oma pushed her cart down the Easter stuff aisles, eyes peeled for those elusive chocolate rabbits. Dove eggs, Ferro Rocher balls, gaudy yellow marshmallow Peeps, Lindt Neapolitan exclusives (those were wrapped in soft purple foil and sported “limited edition” on the box) and so many jellybeans caught Oma’s eye, yet she pressed on. “Just bunnies,” she told herself. “Preferably not the hollow ones.”
First, she found the hollow ones. Priced at $1.99 yet on sale for $1.49, they were a decent deal. “No,” Oma said to herself. “Preferably not the hollow ones.” She continued.
Off to the side, on an endcap (because they were pricey? Or special?) Oma found ‘em. Thrilled, Oma yelled in her best preschool teacher voice, “I found bunnies! I’m buying bunnies 49 days before I need them!”
Not really. Oma does not yell in public places unless Opa is about to do something embarrassing or to suggest purchasing princess hats at Disneyland because his tired daughters are whining for them. Oma did not yell aloud, but she did yell in her head because 1) she found solid chocolate bunnies weeks before they would be needed, and 2) Opa would be so happy.
Since January 1, 2022, Opa had reminded Oma weekly to buy chocolate bunnies for Easter treats. “Chocolate bunnies!” Opa would announce from his desk chair, out of the blue.
“Yep,” would Oma reply. Having every intention to not be skunked by bunny hunting again this year, Oma was on it. You see, Easter 2021 had been a bunny disaster. Not because of the pandemic (although that does make for good excuses any time), Oma had attempted to purchase said treats the Friday before Easter Sunday. No bunnies. Fred Meyer had no bunnies. Target had no bunnies. Amazon probably had bunnies, but could Amazon deliver them the next day? For less than the price of Kobe steaks? Doubtful. Oma at last tried Costco and came away without bunnies but with a bag of small Cadbury eggs. Those weren’t thrilling enough for the masses, let alone for Opa.
Oma began loading her cart with solid chocolate bunnies, made by Lindt. She bought eight of them, retailing for $4.99 each but on sale for $4.49. Although Oma was capable of rounding up and multiplying eight by $4.50, she did not do the math. Refusing to consider that little voice in her head which might whisper “you can find them cheaper elsewhere”, she wheeled to the self-check and began to scan her bunnies.
Those, along with one bottle of weekend wine, a gift bag and tissue paper for the baby gift she was knitting, totaled $58. “Good for you, buying bunnies early!” the clerk did not exclaim in approval as she completed the override on Oma’s alcohol purchase. Oma strolled out to the parking lot where Opa was contentedly waiting.
“Guess what I bought?” she asked him.
“Wine?”
“Well, yes. But also, bunnies!”
“Bunnies?”
“Solid chocolate Easter bunnies for the masses,” answered Oma with a smile. “I was so happy, I yelled at the top of my lungs right there in the aisle!”
“You did?”
“No, of course not. But I felt like it,” answered Oma as she sat down in the car. “Now, you can cross that little item off your list.”
Oma is not sure if Opa crossed “buy chocolate bunnies” from his list or not. She thinks she’ll leave them where they sit – on the kitchen counter next to the coffee maker – for now, just to delight in her accomplishment. This morning, as he waited for the Keurig machine to fill his second cup, Opa noted the bunnies.
“Hey! It’s a gaggle of bunnies!”
“A gaggle?” wondered Oma.
“I dunno. A herd?”
No matter. They are purchased. Oma is still smiling.
Love it, Oma. ???