The death of Mr. Bunny

Sad day last week -- Mr. Bunny died. I'll explain.

I live in the "heartlands" of Singapore, which, on an island the size of Chicago, means I live 30 minutes from downtown. (Distance is relative.) Most of Singapore is "the heartlands" with small neighborhoods and lots of HDBs -- government-owned apartment buildings that are anywhere from 10-20 stories high, where people hang their clothing to dry on poles out the window and pet bunnies are kept in cages outside the apartment. Since my roommates and I moved in, we've all made it a habit to acknowledge the rabbit outside the apartment downstairs when we're coming and going. Mark's the one who named him and stops to pet him. I give him a "Mornin' Mr. Bunny" head nod and "Hey bunny boy" on my way home from work. Darren takes a different approach -- faking a kick to see if Mr Bunny will flinch. He never does.

The thing with Mr Bunny is he was probably 110 years old. He was missing one eye -- he either lost a fight with a dog or went to 'Nam or something. He never, ever moved, at least not that anyone saw. He would either gnaw on his giant carrot, be hiding behind a flower pot or sit in his cage. Sounds like the most boring thing ever, right? But I kind of got obsessed with him -- he was my good luck charm (all of him, not just his foot). If I didn't see him in the morning, I'd be a little bummed. He symbolised everything about HDBs that I knew -- the personalities on display at the doorstep, whether through pets, plants, shoes, traditional Chinese banners, insence. You can hear your neighbors playing mah jong (a Chinese board game that resembles dominos and checkers) at all hours. Several generations of families live together or next door (kids live with their parents until they're married). It's a true neighborhood, something I didn't quite have in Brooklyn. Imagine someone keeping a bunny outside their door in NYC? People would call the Dept. of Health; they'd probably think it was an especially furry rat.

So one day last week I noticed Mr Bunny wasn't outside. Two days went by -- no bunny. Then there was the day his cage was gone. It felt like my pet rabbit had died.

I mean, I've moved on. I still go to work. :) But part of me hopes that when I come home one day, there'll be a new cage outside their door.