One Hop at a Time

On a late August night in San Diego, California, a storm erupted outside of Derek and Diana’s apartment. More curiously, it ended at the same moment as Derek and Diana’s fight, a bolt of lightning striking so close it raised the hair on Derek’s neck, punctuating the last shriek. Derek, still fuming from the barbs exchanged, strutted to their empty kitchen, knowing Diana wouldn’t follow him. He opened the overstuffed fridge, bleary eyes searching through her stockpile of vegetables for what he really wanted: the last two beers from the case he bought the time they fought last week. He shotgunned the first one, ignoring the pain in his chest as the bubbles rose back up his nose, then grabbed the last. He slammed the fridge shut, the image of the vegetables making him sick.

But there was no avoiding them. As soon as the fridge closed, there on the counter was the picture of Diana, grinning proudly and cradling a white bunny with a royal blue ribbon tied around its neck in an oversized bow tilted sideways. Derek glared and used the beer can to hide the image, even for a second. But the beer wasn’t enough. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of Marlboro Reds. As the smoke mingled with the alcohol to slow him down, he glanced at his dirty fingernails. He wasn’t the kind of guy who usually cared, but cigarette dangling between his teeth, he scrubbed his hands thoroughly. Just in time to notice another little reminder of his girlfriend: a note.

Dear Derek,

It’s over.

-Diana

PS Enjoy your spaghetti.

Derek looked at Selene, the white bunny, locked in the carrier next to Diana’s luggage. He took a long drag and choked on the smoke. Coughing, he smashed the cigarette out into the note, scorching the right-end corner.

The white bunny stared at Derek from the bars of her carrier. He downed his second beer in one gulp and crushed the can into a ball. He threw it at a picture of him, Diana, and the bunny hanging on the wall. The picture slid cockeyed, and the glass cracked in the middle of Diana and Derek separating them in the photo. Derek shoveled spaghetti into his mouth. The bunny’s sapphire eyes were wide, and the blue contrasted the whites at the edges. Red sauce smeared on Derek’s face and hands, and each time he slurped a saucy noodle, the bunny’s ear twitched. The bunny crouched down and wiggled her cottontail.

She crashed her body against the door of the crate.

It didn’t budge.

She rammed into it once more and rattled the metal door. She panted heavily. But Derek didn’t notice. It gave her time to form a new strategy.

Her paw slipped through the bar and scratched at the lever on the outside of the crate. But it wasn’t working. A noodle smacked against Derek’s lip and sauce dribbled onto his shirt, only agitating her more. The bunny blinked. She got onto her back and kicked the door with her hind legs.

Derek glanced at her and laughed with an open mouthful of pasta. Strings of noodles clung to the side of his lips. He finished his food, threw the bowl into the sink, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He walked to the bunny’s carrier.

Derek crouched down to the bunny’s level and said, “Now, what am I going to do with you?”  He squeezed his finger into the crate, speeding up Selene’s already hammering heart. She hated the smell of his fingers. She hated it even more tonight. But she waited. Let him bop her on her little pink nose.

Then she wrapped her teeth around the tip of his finger and bit.

Hard.

The sour taste of his flesh was too much. Before he could even realize what happened, Selene spat his fingertip back at him.

And when Derek did see it, he flung himself back, opening the cage as he panicked.

Read One Hop At A Time here.