As Luck Would Have It

                                                                                            

Brodeur's Store on Oakdale Ave was quite upscale for a little kid

from my part of Merritton, but I used to go in after school

anyway.

Brodeur's  sold a lot of things. 

Things that were important t to a little girl.

Like those hose big red wax Marilyn Monroe lips.

And pastel coloured candy necklaces that were strung on long

pieces of elastic.

And chocolate chunks that were touched by dozens of grubby hands

and pooped on by 10 bizzillion flies while they sat unwrapped

on the counter for days before some kid coughed up a nickel and

became the envy of us all.

And double bubble chewing gum, which wasn't a great chew,

but came with a cartoon.

But most importantly,  Brodeur's sold lucky rabbits' feet.

And a lucky rabbit's foot was the one thing for which I would have

gladly traded one or two brothers.
 

My dad hunted rabbits, so we ate them and I was used to seeing

their carcases in the basement but I would never have asked Dad

for a leg.

After all, those were unlucky rabbits or they wouldn't have

been lying dead in my basement.

Lucky rabbits lived in some faraway land where they didn't need feet.
 

But even without the rabbit's foot I did have good luck enough

to have never had the money to buy one.

And I grew up in Merritton.

Which is about as lucky as a kid could get.




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