by Emily Asad
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Mr. Piekarski was right on time. He brought his daughter Natalie with him, and she helped him unload the rabbits. She was Peter’s age, which meant she was a potential girlfriend for him. He grinned at her the whole time.
Roger came outside to greet them, and then led Mr. Piekarski through a thorough question-and-answer session. We learned more about biology and breeding in fifteen minutes than we had in our entire school careers. By the time they left, we felt like near-experts in the care of our rabbits.
“What’s this one’s name?” asked Becky, holding a big white New Zealander.
“Dinner,” replied Roger.
Matt and I snorted.
“That’s not funny,” Mom told him, directing her glare in his direction, still upset about breakfast. It always amazes me how long she can remain angry. Sometimes it takes days for her to get over her thunderstorms.
Roger took Mom in his arms – a brave maneuver, because she often hits when she's angry. To my surprise, she let him envelop her in his big crushing embrace. She even started to smile.
We breathed a collective sigh.
Mr. Nelson and Mr. Richter brought their sheep and goats, and gave us similar instructions. Feed and water twice a day, give plenty of love and attention, and ask lots of questions during breeding season. It turned out that the sheep and goats – two females of each – were already pregnant and would be due in February. The goats would be used for their milk, and the lambs were going to be raised for meat.
Mr. Richter also brought some paperwork with him – for 4-H. Roger insisted we had to attend meetings once a month, and keep paperwork on our animals. We might even get a chance to show them at the State Fair in August. Mr. Richter began to name some of the kids in the local 4-H club, and I was surprised to recognize some of them. We filled out our paperwork, and then thanked him for all his help.
“So, who wants what?” asked Roger when the men were gone.
I volunteered for a goat. I couldn’t stand the idea of getting attached to something we would end up eating. Milking a goat didn’t sound so bad in comparison to butchering a sheep.
Matt and Peter both wanted a sheep, and Becky wanted a rabbit. That left a rabbit for Margaret, and a goat for Erika. Wouldn’t they be surprised when they got back on Monday!