Bunny Giganticus

Mom's center piece

"It's bigger than Nan's turkey!" Rory said.
"Leave me alone, it's too early."
"Tommy, I swear it's huge. Get up!"

I tried to punch Rory but missed and my momentum carried me out of the bunk bed onto the bedroom floor.  I got up and scratched my butt through my PJ's' on the short walk to the kitchen. 

"Holy crap!"

Rory was right. This was the largest chocolate bunny I'd ever seen. It took up half the space on the dinner table. Nearly twice the size of the big one in the window at Woolworth's on 86th Street. This monster rabbit was surrounded by painted Easter eggs and cream-filled chickadees. Mom out did herself, but this was no surprise with Mom when it came to chocolate and sweets. 

When she was 13, her class at St. Joseph's visited a candy factory in New Jersey owned by Father Heidi's family. When the kids were leaving the factory, the nun pulled Mom aside and patted her down. Mom had bars of chocolate stuck in various spots on her clothing and body. The nun grew suspicious when Mom kept her winter coat on for the whole trip despite the fact it was an unusually warm April day.

Ma, third from left on bottom,  St. Joe's 8th grade @1944

When I got home from school, I knew Mom was having a good afternoon if she had chocolate stuck between her teeth. She smiled a lot after chocolate, and smiled harder when Dad hit his thumb with a hammer.  Happy Easter, Ma. 

Rory, Tom, Rabbit, Upstate @1960

If you like my work check out my memoir, "I Hate the Dallas Cowboys - tales of a scrappy New York boyhood." Available locally at Logos Book Store or online at Amazon or B&N.


Mark your calendar, we're doing a special Mother's Day "Stoops to Nuts" storytelling show @ Saturday, May 9th @ 7-10pm, @ Ryan's Daughter on East 85th Street.