Way back when getting to go to the drive-in picture show was excitement enough but, the possibility of taking home an Easter baby chick was almost more than I could stand. 

On two nights, and two nights only, every little young’un that went to the drive picture showing in Troy would get a baby Easter chick to take home, to keep. That was more than I could stand. A baby chick of my my own. That was too good to be true!

Now, these weren’t ordinary baby chicks that had hatched out of eggs. They were baby chicks that the Easter bunny brought and he had colored them pink, green and blue – just like Easter eggs. I wanted one so much.

“Please! please! Can I have an Easter baby chick? Bubba wants one, too.”

Mama said we didn’t need baby chicks but Daddy didn’t hear her. So, on Friday night before Easter, we loaded up in our big, green Hudson automobile and went all the way to Troy to the drive-in movie theater.

“Geronimo” was playing. He was my favorite Indian but that night, he could just go shoot an arrow. I was going to get a baby Easter chick.

At intermission, we went to the snack bar to see the baby chicks. It was so exciting to see all those baby Easter chicks peeping around. I wanted a blue chick but Mama said little boys got blue and little girls got pink. I picked the the fuzziest pink baby chick in the world.

I  wanted to hold it all the way home but Daddy said, if you hold a baby chick too long, it will die. I didn’t want my baby chick to die. So, I just patted her on the head. I wanted to name my baby girl chick Calamity Jane, but my baby chick was not rowdy. She was soft and cuddly. I named her Olivia.

Daddy put our Easter chicks in a cardboard box and put a light bulb in it. Daddy said the baby chicks would think the light bulb was their mama so they wouldn’t be sad.

We kept Blue Boy and Olivia in a pen at night but in the daytime they scratched and pecked around in the yard. Sometimes Olivia would peck me but I still loved her.

In the summertime we would go to see Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Willie way off at Baker Hill. It  was fun but I wanted to go home because I missed Olivia.

Finally, we went home. I was so happy. I just knew Olivia would come clucking to me. But I couldn’t find her. Bubba couldn’t find Blue Boy. All we found was blue and pink feathers.

Olivia was dead. I cried and cried.

I wanted her to come back.

If I could not have Olivia, I didn’t ever want another pink baby chick.

I’ll always remember Olivia at Easter time.