Note: italics are Lola's thoughts

Courage

It was Saturday

The family was still asleep in bed that morning. Lola was the first to wake. She hesitantly got out of bed and went to the kitchen. She reached into the cupboard and got out the coffee. She set the machine and sat at the table.

"I hate mornings…"

She yawned and absentmindedly scratched her head. She looked around and noticed the calendar on the fridge. She noticed the date and her face became stern when she noticed what day it was. She looked down at her feet, pondering as what to do about today.

This day has come again…what am I going to do? I can't leave them now…I have to make breakfast. But if I don't leave now, I'll miss…no, I have to go now

She got up from the chair and went to the bathroom.

After awhile, Bugs awoke with the smell of the coffee brewing. He got out of bed and went out of his room. He heard the shower going and knew she was in there. He dragged his feet towards the kitchen to find the already full pot of coffee. He poured himself a cup and sat on the chair.

Lola got out of the shower and saw Bugs in the kitchen.

"Morning," said Bugs

"Morning," replied Lola as she went into their room

"What's the hurry?" he called after her

"I have to go out," she called from the room

Bugs took a sip from his coffee. After a few moments, Lola emerged from the room.

"I have to go do something important,"

Bugs noticed how she was dressed. He knew immediately what it was she had to do.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure…Perhaps I'll be back by this afternoon,"

"Alright,"

"Later babe," she kissed him

"Later,"

Lola took her car keys and went out the door. As soon as she left, Tanya came out of her room. She found her dad in the kitchen.

"Mornin' daddy, what's for breakfast?"

"Eh…."

The black car turned onto the exit and entered the interstate. Lola was vigilant, keeping her eyes on the road. However her mind was on a different road, known as memory lane. Her mind went back…back to when she was eight years old.

Her family's nomadic ways led them to Grandpa Milton's house in Colorado. The house itself was a large two-story home; filled with antiques twice as old as Grandpa and more rooms than he knew what to do with. The neighborhood itself was a quiet suburban area. All the houses were large and spacious, modest and yet elegant.

Grandpa hadn't seen them since Lola was much younger. Grandpa himself looked pretty much the same. However due to his age, his eyes were starting to become cloudy. Also the amount of energy he has is not what it used to be.

Despite his age, he was happy to spend time with the kids. He was always there, playing with the children, spoiling them. He treated all three of them equally. The children were very fond of him. They had so much respect for him.

The family had been at Grandpa Milton's for a few months now. It had seemed as though the family was stabilizing there. So Larry made the decision of sending the kids to school. Brendan and Kate were relieved that they wouldn't have to be home schooled by their mother, but Lola, on the other hand, was becoming nervous.

In the dining room, the three Bunny children were finishing up their lunch.

"I've never been to a big kid school before…" mumbled Lola

"Oh, quit complaining. I can't wait to get away from mom…" interjected Kate

"Yeah, and away from both of you too!" said Brendan

"Shut up!" yelled Kate

"You!"

"No you!"

"Kate! Brendan! Stop it!" scolded their mother from upstairs

With a humph, Kate and Brendan went their separate ways; Kate to the living room and Brendan to the backyard. Lola was sitting alone at the dinning room table. She was too worried to care about the fighting her siblings did. Tomorrow was going to be her first day of real school and she didn't know what to expect.

She sighed and got down from the wooden chair. She was walking towards her room when she heard humming from Grandpa's study. She peeked inside and saw a round room filled with trophies and a gigantic bookcase. Her Grandpa was sitting in a large red chair in the center of the room, with a book on his lap. The humming stopped.

"Hello there little Princess," he said to her

Lola was a bit startled that he noticed her.

"Hi Grandpa," she greeted

"Come in," he smiled

Lola walked over to her Grandpa and leaned over the armrest to see what he was looking at. It was an old photo album.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked

"I'm just looking at some old photos when Grandpa was younger,"

He set the book aside and put Lola on his lap.

"You've gotten so big," he said, "You kids grow up so fast."

Lola gave him a small smile when he tickled her chin. She then sighed and turned her head slightly away from him. He could tell she was upset.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing…"

"You look so sad," he inquired, "are the others picking on you?"

"No…it's not that,"

"Then what's wrong?"

Lola looked at him. The warm look of concern on his face made her decide to confide in him; she felt she could trust him.

"Tomorrow I have to go to big kid school…and I'm a little scared," she said softly

"Oh child, there's nothing to worry about. School will be fun,"

"I don't know…" she hesitated

She turned away from him and looked at the floor in deep thought. Grandpa paused for a moment. The wisdom of many years he would share.

"Let me tell you a little story,"

Grandpa picked up the photo album and turned to a page near the front. At the top of the page was a black and white photo of a young uniformed soldier with helmet and rifle. He was the splitting image of her father.

"Who's that?"

"That's me when I was younger," he said, "In those days, we were in a war. It was a horrifying time period. Back then, the young men were drafted into the army to go fight the enemy."

He pointed to another picture. He was on a ship carrying a large backpack of supplies. There were other men in the picture, most of them as young as he was.

"They sent me far away from my friends and family; to go fight the enemy and protect our country...you can imagine how scared I was."

"You were scared?" she asked in wonder

"Yes," he nodded, "I never fought in a war before. I never fired a gun in my life. It was the first time I was so far away from my home. I was very scared, I didn't know what to expect. But you know what I did?"

"What?"

"I went anyway. Because I knew I was fighting for a cause. If I didn't go, my family back home would be in danger. So you know what I did?"

"What did you do?"

"I gathered up my courage and dove into the fight."

"What's courage?"

"Courage is when you face your fears. And that's what I had to, I faced my fear,"

"What happened next?"

"We were in this thick forest. It was cold and the fog was dense, we couldn't see an inch in front of our eyes. Then suddenly there were gunshots everywhere! My battalion was shooting at the enemy like mad. They were mostly young and had no experience, just like me, and they didn't know what to do. There was so much confusion…so much chaos. Despite the extreme odds, we won that battle. However… it cost us dearly,"

"Then it wasn't a very good idea,"

"Maybe. But you're not seeing the big picture. If we didn't go, the enemy would have advanced and eventually overwhelm us all. Even though we got hurt, we gained the advantage in the war."

Grandpa looked directly at Lola.

"You see, sometimes you have to do things you're scared to do. You have to have courage. Because I had courage, I helped my country win the war. And I won something else too,"

"What was that?"

"If I didn't have courage, I never would have met your Grandmother,"

He pointed to a black and white picture of him and a lovely lady rabbit dressed in a nurse's frock. She had dark hair and her fur was light. From the picture you could tell that she was a confident woman.

"One day, I got hurt in a battle. That one bullet wound to my arm was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. When I was sent to the infirmary, which is like a hospital, to get medical help; I woke up to see her bandaging my arm. She was so sweet and beautiful. Then she says, 'You poor idiot…running out in an open field'"

Lola laughed

"'How can you see anything!' I said, 'that darn fog is thick as pea soup!' Then she smacks my arm. 'You're all morons!' she says 'Firing all over the place when you can't even see! Wasting your ammo and all you'll do is probably end up getting hurt like this!'"

Lola laughed even harder

"It was love at first fight," he sighed

They both laughed together. Lola cuddled up on his chest and waited for him to continue with the story.

"Your Grandma had a lot of courage too," he started again after he calmed down, "She was there in the camps, healing all the hurt soldiers. Not that many women were brave enough to go there."

He turned the page and there was a picture of their wedding. He was dressed in a proud white uniform and she wore an elegant white dress. Behind them were military officers in dark uniforms and white gloves, forming the traditional arch of sabers.

"If I never met Grandma, your Daddy wouldn't exist. And if your Daddy didn't exist, you wouldn't be here sitting here on my lap now would you?"

He tickled her and she giggled.

"So now that you're going to school, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have courage, just like you Grandpa!"

"That's my girl," he hugged her

"I love you Grandpa,"

"I love you too,"

The next day, Gladys took her three children to the local elementary school. Lola was entering the third grade while Brendan entered the fourth and Kate to the seventh. They entered the administration office and looked for someone to place the kids in a class. After dealing with the necessary paperwork, the administrator led them on a little tour of the school.

"Down this hallway are the classrooms for the younger grades," said the woman, "and here we have Lola's class."

Lola looked towards the door, then towards her mother.

"Have a great day sweetie. Everything will be alright,"

"Bye," she said

The woman opened the door. The teacher turned from the chalkboard to see who was at the door. She was a dainty middle aged woman, wearing a pale pink skirt and blazer.

"Yes?" she asked

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a new student for you,"

Lola took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"This is Lola Bunny,"

"Hello Lola," said the teacher, "I'm Miss Marenstein."

"Hello Ms. Marenstein," greeted Lola

"Come in, have a seat over there my dear,"

Lola eased the tense grip on her backpack straps and walked towards her new seat. She sat down and looked towards the door. She saw her mother leaning over to see if she sat down. Even after the administrator closed the door, Gladys peeked through the window on the door to see how Lola was doing. She waved to her then reluctantly left. Lola hung her head in a bit of embarrassment.

"Oh brother," giggled the girl next to her

"What?" asked Lola

"My mom was like that too when she dropped me off to school,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, so I know how it feels," she smiled, "my name's Mary"

"Hi, I'm Lola"

Later that afternoon

Lola rushed into the house. Larry saw her excitement.

"Hey kiddo,"

"Hi daddy! I had a great time in school!"

"That's great,"

"Where's Grandpa? I made him a trophy out of popsicle sticks in arts and crafts!"

"Grandpa's a little tired. He's taking a nap right now so you shouldn't go bother him,"

"Oh…ok,"

Brendan, Katie, and Gladys soon entered the house.

"Lola's very excited isn't she?"

"Oh yes," answered Gladys, "my little sweetie had a beautiful first day."

"That's good. So how about you two?"

"Mine was ok," said Katie

"Yeah, mine too," said Brendan

One morning, about a week later after Lola's first day of school…

Gladys was finished making breakfast for the family. Katie and Lola were setting the table while Larry was reading the paper. Gladys began to bring the food out, with the three kids bringing cups, forks, and juice.

"Alright everybody, come sit down," said Larry

The family sat down at the table, however there was an empty spot at the front of the table.

"Where's Grandpa?" asked Brendan

"I guess he's still sleeping," said Gladys

"That's odd, he never oversleeps," said Larry

"I'll go get him," said Lola

She got up from the table and went upstairs. She knocked on her Grandpa's door.

"Grandpa?"

She didn't hear a response. She tried the knob, and it was unlocked. She peeked inside. The room was dimly lit, with bits of sunshine passing through the window blinds. On the bed there was Grandpa still asleep.

"Grandpa? Wake up, breakfast is ready,"

She walked in and went towards his bed curiously. She reached for his hand, but she pulled back when she felt how cold he was.

"Grandpa? Grandpa! Wake up!"

She nudged him, but he made no sound. She then heard the sound of urgent footsteps coming up the stairs. Through the door appeared a worried looking Larry.

"Dad?"

Lola stepped aside as Larry held to his father's hand. He then felt his pulse.

"Oh my God…"

"Daddy? Wha…"

Larry felt his body shake. He fell to his knees and buried his face in the covers. Lola was so worried and confused; she had never seen her father like this.

"…Daddy?" she felt the tears swelling in her eyes

More footsteps came from downstairs. This time it was Gladys who appeared through the door. She gasped at the sight. She didn't move from where she stood. Larry's muffled sobs were heard in the room.

Gladys slowly walked towards her husband, and knelt beside him. She placed her arms around him, trying to comfort him.

Lola was still in shock. She didn't know what was happening, why it was happening.

All she knew was...her friend was gone...

Courage…I must have courage…

Lola arrived to her destination. She parked the car and went through the gates. The weeping willow trees cast a shadow on the ground, and the morning fog created an eerie ambiance. She continued down the dirt path. Past the stone angels and the aligned tombstones, towards the grave that holds her grandfather.

Grandpa, this place isn't for you. You were warm and gentle, these statues and mausoleums are so cold and creepy. Oh how I wish you were here again. You were my friend, I could always trust you. I will never forget what you've taught me.

She came to a stop when she saw a man looking down. Lola watched him as he placed a flower on the tombstone.

"Dad?"

He turned around and saw Lola there.

"Hey kiddo,"

Lola walked next to him and looked down on the tombstone. She got down on one knee and added her white flower on the grave as well. She touched the stone, feeling the grooves of the letters on her fingertips.

"Milton Armando Bunny

His Courage Will Never Die"

How appropriate…it fits you perfectly. Oh Grandpa, how I miss you. I wish you were with us. I wish my Sean and Tanya could have met you. So you could have taught them like you've taught me. Spoil them like you've spoiled me. To be there for them, to love them... just as you have… for me. But death has taken you away from us…and they will never know how wonderful you were…Oh Grandpa, I love you. You will always be my dearest friend…

She wiped a tear that escaped from her eye. She arose from the ground and took a step back. Larry placed his arm around her shoulder. They both stood in silence.

"I miss him," he said

"Me too," she replied

There was a gentle breeze that filled the cemetery. It ruffled their hair and swirled the leaves on the ground. The leaves danced around, over Grandpa's grave and over the next one. The next tombstone was done in the same style as Grandpa's, except that it looked older. On the stone it read:

"Maria Berenice Hopsberg Bunny

A Fighter Till The End"

Grandma…

"You know, you are just like my mother was. And he could see that better than anyone."

"I wish I could have met her,"

"She would have loved you to an eternity, just as he did,"

He turned towards his daughter.

"If only they could see you now. To see into the kind of person you've become. Lola, you were the apple of his eye. He saw so much greatness in you, and it turns out he was right... He was so proud of you."

Lola smiled. Larry gently kissed her forehead.

"As am I."