By Gerry Roe
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” Aldous Huxley
Easter 2020 was very different; celebrating with Covid-19, not going to church on such a special day. No big family and friend’s dinners after church service. My son and family came for dinner. We were sitting outside visiting and eating at a distance and no hugs. My sweet daughter in law brought me a chocolate bunny; she had added a mask and gloves to him. In the packet was “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter. I had not read the story since my grandchildren were small. I read it as I sat nibbling on one of the rabbit’s chocolate ear. I pondered the story about Peter Rabbit eating too much at Mr. McGregor’s garden. After he finally made it home, he was too sick to eat the blackberries his siblings ate that night. These tales below inspired by Peter Rabbit and overeating.
This story was told to me by cousin Imogene Combs Graziano years ago when I visited her at her cabin in Yucca Valley, California.
Imogene told me that she always looked forward to going to my mother’s (Ruby Isaacs Roe) house to visit. She and my brother, Buddy had always been close; even from their toddler years.
The following story took place in Mississippi, during summertime when blackberries were ripe.
“Aunt Ruby was making a blackberry cobbler for dinner. She sent Buddy and me down the road to the mail box; they lived off a country road. In the mail was a packet of what looked like chocolate. I told Buddy we could share it and he said, “no, we’ll get in trouble.” I told him no we would just hide the wrap and no one would ever know. I could get him to do what I wanted. So we ate the chocolate and hid the evidence. We thought we were so cunning.
Well, by the time we got home we both had to run to the outhouse; multiple times, and taking turns. Aunt Ruby ask us what was wrong. We both just told her our stomach was upset. We were sent to bed and everyone else enjoyed the blackberry cobbler! Just like Peter Rabbit!
I am sure by now you have realized it was NOT, just chocolate but a sample of EX-LAX. I am not sure after all we went through that day; that we learned our lesson. Years later we confessed to Aunt Ruby and we suspected she always knew.”
Post Script:
Cousins Herman and Jim Isaacs, Uncle Kelly and Aunt Eleanor’s sons (Herman and Jim) had a similar experience. They were living in Cottage Grove Oregon near the town of Saginaw.They found a similar chocolate package in their indoor bathroom and promptly ate the entire package. Well, needless to say, it wasn’t long before those two boys were fighting over the bathroom. Aunt Eleanor found a mess! After that chocolate didn’t taste so good to them.
Is their a moral to these tales?
Tales of our Family; Stories That Cross Time 
Oh my how I remember Jean telling that story – she loved to tell it over and over. I got to visit with her a lot in later years and she told me that she and her brother and sister would not have known our side of the family except for “Aunt Ruby” because she had them visit us in the Delta during the summer when they were kids. She always spent time wit Buddy – hence the Ex Lax story- the older kids didn’t want them around and my twin Frank and I were little kids and they didn’t want us around! I told Jean in later years I wanted to look just like her when I grew up I knew I wanted to wear that beautiful red lipstick and beautiful red nail polish that she wore when she was a teen ager and for sure when I grew up I wore and wear it still.
I had never heard the story that Herman and Jim had a similar experience – so amusing that first cousins enjoyed what they thought was chocolate and paid the price – many years apart!
Thank You Gerry Roe for the great family story from so long ago!
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“Facts don’t cease to exist just because you ignore them.” Ha! So true. Perfect quote.
Moral of the story? If you see the letter X on a box of chocolates—— ingest with caution. . (:
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Nice
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