d.3. :: rabbit refuge every Christmas, a divorced father thinks it would be so cute to hand over to his five year old daughter a pet rabbit. the ire of the girl's mother, with whom the little brat resides, is raised immediately upon the unveiling of the gift. it is bad enough that he didn't bother to tell her that he had let her AAA membership lapse last summer, so that they refused to send a truck to her when she ran out of gas on La Cienega, but now - and without a warning or permission - he expects her to keep this rodent in her house while he dates a gold-digger close to half his age. the girl squeals with delight and grabs the rabbit to hold up for display to the entire assemblage. the mother suppresses her rage as the girl shoves the terrified animal into her face, declaring that this rabbit is the greatest gift that any five year old girl can ever hope to receive. incredibly, the mother is able to bring a smile to her face as she grudgingly listens to her daughter's extravagant plans for the little beast. by the time Saint Patrick's Day arrives the five-and-a-half year old is spending every waking hour on her Razor. the mother is the one cleaning up the rabbit shit and throwing its papers out every morning. knowing that her daughter's protests will only last a week or less, she puts the animal into a carrying case, and takes it to the nearest refuge. at the end of the viewing platform, she finds the small entrance office. she opens the gate and crosses a wide moat. in the office, she provides the proper documentation of the rabbit's health, and she turns him over to the ranger. out of the office, from the platform, they can see the rabbit quickly cross the field to cower under a hedge. they wait around until they see it hesitantly move into the open to snag some fresh greens, and they then turn to cross the street for bagels and lattes. the girl waves and shouts that she will come back for a visit every week. the rabbit could care less as he breaks himself off another mouthful of timothy grass.

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