by JD Faver
When I was in the second grade I must have been irresistible, because I was the recipient of a very sincere declaration of undying love. My first admirer was a really cute boy named Eddie. He was tall and had hair the color of a carrot. In fact, all visible parts of Eddie were pretty much the color of a carrot. He had very pale skin and orange hair, eyebrows and freckles. He was great at games and always played with enormous enthusiasm. Eddie also had a speech impediment and could have done voice overs for Elmer Fudd. He got teased a lot, but he had a very upbeat personality and was able to give as well as he got.
Eddie was always chasing me around, and because I was the girl, I got to be chased. The nuns did not think this was particularly lady-like and I remember having to sit, with Eddie while everyone else was playing. We were parked close to the sister who supervised the playground, our backs against the fence. On one particularly gorgeous spring afternoon, I heard my first declaration of true love. Eddie, ever the charmer, slipped his arm around me and said the words every girl longs to hear. He said, “You my eater bunny and I you eater bunny.” Well, hey…I was seven.
To this day I have a special fondness for all things Easter. I bought Peeps last year for my beloved granddaughters and was informed that they no longer ate anything with high-fructose corn syrup or all that artificial coloring. Sadly, I had to eat two boxes of Peeps all by myself. And I thought of Eddie as I bit the ears off my high-fructose corn syrup eater bunny. Yes, I plan to stock up on Peeps again and won’t even pretend anyone else will eat them. Here’s lookin’ at you, Eddie…
