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"'Bunny' with the Beautiful Blue Eyes"
“‘Bunny’ with the Beautiful Blue Eyes”
She had saucer-like blue eyes. Captivating. The rest of her wasn’t bad either. The first time I saw this co-ed was on bus that we both shared. We were among others who were traveling north from our BU campus on Comm. Ave. to a freshman orientation at Camp Sargent in Peterborough, NH.
I recall that over that weekend in New Hampshire we combined orientation activities with social ones. It was during one of those orientation activities that I first met the woman who everyone called “Bunny”.
The next day, Saturday morning, we were broken up into small groups for what I’d call a “Meet & Greet”. By chance, I was assigned to a group that included: “‘Bunny’ with the Beautiful Blue Eyes”.
As I remember, we sat in a circle and, one by one, we introduced ourselves. We would then tell the group where we were from, our interests and background. And oh yes, why we decided to enroll at BU. I recall that I was the second person to introduce himself. I would tell everyone that I was born in Syracuse, NY and that I had lived in Utica, NY, the Bronx (near Yankee Stadium) and New Bedford, MA before my family moved to the Dorchester-Mattapan section of Boston. I then told the group I was an avid sports fan, particularly the Boston Red Sox, and that I enjoyed participating in all kinds of sports.
Well, after a few more introductions, the person whom I wanted to learn more about was going to speak. Even before she spoke I kept subtly glancing at her. Her beautiful blue eyes had this hypnotic effect; they were accentuated by matching eye-shadow.
When she spoke, she first told everyone that although her name was Barbara Braun, all her friends called “Bunny”. I recall that she mentioned that she was from The Queens, NY. She then added some personal information. I don’t recall much except for the fact that she wanted to be an elementary-school teacher.
That evening, there was a dance. I was hoping to get a chance to dance with “Bunny,” but one of the upperclassmen that was serving as one of our chaperones had already “scooped” her up. I waited for a while hoping that either he or "Bunny” might dance with someone else. No luck.
About 10 PM, I gave up any hope of dancing with “Bunny” and decided to cast my lot elsewhere. I did meet a woman (her name was Justine). She was from Indianapolis, IN. Although we didn’t dance, she engaged me in a conversation about motorcycles. She called them “cicles” (she pronounced it like the curved device used to cut grain). She said she had a Harley back home and that she frequently rode around the Indianapolis area. I recall telling her that the only thing I knew about Indianapolis was the Indianapolis 500.
When we arrived back at BU for the start of classes, I found out that I was taking the same fine arts class as “Bunny”. As our professor was discussing such topics, as fresco secco, flying buttresses, and the Sistine Chapel, I was stealing glances at the beautiful “Bunny”.
Well, I finally got up the courage to ask "Bunny" if she'd join me for lunch. She said “Yes”. I was overjoyed. We decided to do lunch at the Howard Johnson's that was then at the corner of Comm. Ave and the road that led over the BU Bridge into Cambridge.
I recall how excited I was as Bunny and I walked along Comm. Ave. toward the HoJos. She looked beautiful. I remember that upon entering Howard Johnson’s we were quickly seated. Soon, our waitress took our order. I recall that both Bunny and I ordered a hamburger; I ordered a Coke; she ordered a milk shake.
During the course of our meal I kept calling her Barbara instead of "Bunny”. She’d say, “All my friends call me ‘Bunny’”. Well, I was so nervous I continued calling her Barbara; she continued to correct me. “It’s 'Bunny,'" she said.
In hindsight, our lunch-date turned out to be a disaster. I was just too nervous. Too gauche. Too wet-behind-the-ears, especially when it came to woman. In hindsight, I’ll chalk some of that up to the fact that for the past six years I had attended an all-boys junior-high/senior-high school. The only women in that school were a couple secretaries and the cafeteria workers. Oh yes, the school nurse. You’d be surprised how often over a thousand guys would visit the school nurse, even if she were a middle-aged woman in her 50s.
Well, I knew after my lunch-date fiasco that there was no chance for me to connect with “Bunny”. Oh, I’d see her in our fine arts class and occasionally our paths would cross on the BU campus; yet, I never again asked her out. After that failed lunch-date, I was just too embarrassed.
Yet, I’ve always wondered, over 55 years later, what had happened to “‘Bunny’ with the Beautiful Blue Eyes”. Maybe she forsook teaching and got a job at Manhattan’s Playboy Club?
__________________
Walt (Teach)
"Walt, make a 'mental bet' and lose your mind." R.N.S.
"The important thing is what I think of myself."
"David and Lisa" (1962)
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