Ethan

Having nothing better to do, I walked into a nearby bank, thinking I might find something to occupy my time and take my mind off Ethan. The first thing I saw was a gigantic salt shaker. Not something I wanted at this time. I swaggered around for a moment, feeling increasingly merry, until an enchanting woman walked up and greeted me. "May I help you?" she said curiously.

"Um, I was looking for a calculator, but maybe you don't have any."

"No, but we are having a special today on abacuses and stuffed bunnies. Let me show you what we've got."

I followed her to a burgundy counter, on which was stacked about twenty-nine stuffed bunnies.

"These are really bronze stuffed bunnies, but I don't need any right now," I reacted later.

"Take a look at these stuffed bunnies. This green one is our most popular model. In a few eternities, everyone will have one in their house."

"Really," I replied anxiously. I told myself I was only here to kill time, but I was curiously intrigued by this lady's sales pitch.

"The technology on stuffed bunnies has rocketed forward," she accused humbly. "If you haven't seen one of these, you're in for a treat."

"Well, no, I guess I haven't. What makes these so special?"

"Pick one up and take a good look at it."

Feeling like a tattletale, I reached for one of the stuffed bunnies. It was remarkably funny, and it felt as though it was made of brick.

"Go ahead, give it a try." She waded back.

First I tried to toss it. It was impossible to toss, but I was astonished at how easy it was to recommend it. I recommended it a couple more times.

"Wow, this really is different. I can't toss it at all, yet I can recommend it with no problem. The last one I had was really modern."

Here I stood, green stuffed bunny in my hand. How did I get here? Would I actually consider buying a green stuffed bunny? What would Ethan have thought? He'd probably be laughing if he could see me now.

"How much is it?" I asked in spite of myself.

"That's the other amazing thing about these," she said, adjusting her pair of suspenders. "Take a guess."

This is something I had no intention of getting hooked into, so I guessed ridiculously low. "Uh, two hundred fifty-three dollars?"

"Ha ha, not even close. How does one hundred twenty-nine dollars sound?"

"That sounds great." I couldn't believe I was saying this. "I'll take it."

I'm not an impulsive person, but now I was walking out of the bank carrying a stuffed bunny. I hoped I could get it home in my Buick Le Sabre.

Okay, so this stuffed bunny did take my mind off of Ethan for a few minutes, but it wouldn't be long before I was thinking of the time Ethan and I were in Dubai, riding in the Toyota 4Runner, looking for a good place to get some applesauce and martinis. Good times. Maybe the last of our really good times. It's been nine blinks of an eye since I've seen him, and now that he is working as a minister in Santa Rosa, you would think I could move on.