“Now, hand me your phone, I’m ordering us takeout.”
“And this one is called Ziggy.” Mae introduces Leo to the small terrier-like puppy, who’s blinking up at him with loving eyes, but I have a feeling he’s really just infatuated with the leftover nacho cheese sauce the kid has dotted on his T-shirt from lunch.
“He’s so cute.” Leo bends down, and the dog immediately begins attacking his face with slobbery kisses inside the pen in the Missarali City Animal Shelter. I’d asked if Mae had a free hour to give us a tour and introduce Leo to some of the dogs, to which she responded with, “Absofuckinglutely I do.”
As Leo and Ziggy giggle and bark in the corner of the pen, Mae nudges me. “Flo… what would you do if you think your boyfriend is going to propose, but you’re overthinking everything and don’t want to get your hopes up in case he’s acting weird for some other reason?”
My eyes bug out. “Weird, how?”
“I don’t know. He’s acting all jittery around me. And he keeps staring at my hands, particularly my nails.”
“Like he’s checking you’ve had them done?” A grin spreads my lips.
She dips her chin to her chest in a firm nod.
“Mae, come on, you’re so getting hitched. Fuck, okay, this is so exciting, just letting you know, I look good in pastel blue or green, but pink’s not really my colour.”
My best friend deadpans me. “For your bridesmaid dress?”
“Yep.” I weave her fingers into mine, feeling emotional. “But seriously, you’re gonna make me cry. And I never cry.”
“I might be looking into things, but I’ll let you know if it happens.”
I shoulder barge her. “I'd better be the first person you call.”
“Obviously.”
Our conversation is interrupted by Sheila, one of the animal centre volunteers, rushing up to the pen carrying a large cardboard box. It has bite marks in every corner, and hay sticking out the top of it. It’s half-closed, but a flicker of motion opens the flap of the lid, and a small white head pops out.
“What is that?” I mutter, taking a few steps forward, and Sheila sniggers, but her face falls flat after a brief second.
“Um, so, we’ve never had something like this happen before, but someone’s abandoned a rabbit outside.”
Mae immediately flings the door of the pen open, and Ziggy and Leo both perk up, shuffling closer. “A rabbit?”
“We only take dogs and cats, so we’re quite stumped on what to do. The rabbit rescues we’ve tried calling won’t have anywhere set up for her for a few days. They’re full.”
Mae scratches the top of the rabbit’s head, and it gazes up at her with bold blue eyes. “Hmm, we can’t leave her in that box, and I don’t want to risk putting her in a pen in case she chews her way out.”
“She’s adorable.” Letting the rabbit sniff me a few times, I scratch at her head. Its fur feels like velvet underneath my fingertips, and as Leo toddles up to the box, Sheila lowers it so he can have a look. But without warning, the rabbit surges forward and leaps out of the box onto Leo’s lap, perching herself there before sniffing at the cheese sauce staining his shirt.
“I think she likes you, Leo,” Mae laughs, and the kid beams, his pudgy fingers delicately stroking the rabbit’s back.
Sheila grins, setting the box down on the ground and picking up Ziggy, who’s whining beside us, wanting equal attention as the rabbit.
“It’s eating me,” Leo squeals with delight as the rabbit latches onto his hair and begins chewing on it, making him laugh even harder. God, Leo’s going to return home bald if I don’t get this rabbit off him.
When I attempt to pick up the rabbit, Leo stops me, curling his small hands around its waist himself, and placing it back onto his lap where it can’t reach his hair. He points at it and says, “Hair isn’t food. This is.” He thenpulls out a handful of candy from his pocket, and I sweep them from his hand before he can offer the rabbit one.
“Woahh, buddy, I’m pretty sure rabbits don’t like…” I stare at the wrapped candy with a crease between my brows. “Pickle-flavoured gum drops.”
Leo hums. “A nanny gave them to me.”
“Well, I think she may have been trying to poison you, my friend. That’s nasty. I’ll get you some better candy.” I stuff the rancid gummies into my pocket after making Leo empty his, returning my attention to the bunny that’s still comfortable on his lap.
Sheila clears her throat. “This might be a huge ask, and I completely understand if the answer is no, but is there any chance you’d be able to look after her for a few days? I’ve got dogs and cats at home, who would surely see her as a meal, and I know Mae won’t be at home for the next couple of days with work. We're pretty stuck with where to put her until a rescue can take her.”
At Sheila’s request, Leo’s eyes brighten, twinkling with delight, and he turns to me with a pleading expression.
