--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I whispered, \"Do you have a rubber?\" He…" description: "\"“I whispered, \"Do you have a rubber?\" He laughed, hushed, a laughing whisper, as though his parents were in the next room, and reached one arm past my ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/monica-drake-30225_black-heart_i-whispered-do-you-have-a-rubber-he-laug_794664.png" --- # I whispered, "Do you have a rubber?" He laughed, hushed, a… ![“I whispered, "Do you have a rubber?" He laughed, hushed, a laughing whisper, as though his parents were in the next room, and reached one arm past my head to a nightstand there. "A rubber chicken." He shook the dancing chicken in the air. "Will that do?" I laughed back, ran a finger along the…” quote by Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/monica-drake-30225_black-heart_i-whispered-do-you-have-a-rubber-he-laug_794664.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/monica-drake-30225_black-heart_i-whispered-do-you-have-a-rubber-he-laug_794664.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/monica-drake-30225_black-heart_i-whispered-do-you-have-a-rubber-he-laug_794664.png) > ““I whispered, "Do you have a rubber?" He laughed, hushed, a laughing whisper, as though his parents were in the next room, and reached one arm past my head to a nightstand there. "A rubber chicken." He shook the dancing chicken in the air. "Will that do?" I laughed back, ran a finger along the bumps of the fake chicken skin. "Ribbed and beaked for her pleasure, even. Want me to leave you two alone?" He threw the chicken on the floor and bit my neck and I giggled and he said, "Never," and he was everywhere then. The couch was a sinking place and I disappeared into the orgy of costumes, the smell of nervous strangers, makeup and smoke, my naked body buried in the perfume of human need. I took the rubber chicken home. Plucky was my mascot, the souvenir of our date. Later, much later, there was the conception of our child. And now the miscarriage, unexpected, though I should've expected it because, why not? -- family slid through my fingers the same as the old silicone banana-peel trick. After the D&C, after the suctioning away of our tiny fetus, I drew the black heart on Plucky's rubber breast in the place where a chicken might have a heart, over the ridges of implied feathers. Indelible ink. Now she'd been nabbed by a kid too young to know what love means, what a chicken might mean. Too young to know that a rubber chicken can carry all of love in one indelible ink heart.”” [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid recollection of a playful, intimate encounter that later becomes a symbol of love, loss, and grief after miscarriage. **In simple terms:** A playful night becomes a lasting symbol of love and loss. Key Takeaway Remember symbols of love to heal grief. Themes love loss grief intimacy memory Mood sad reflective hopeful Type personal emotional narrative When to use this quote - date night - miscarriage - memorial rituals - artistic expression Key Concepts symbolism attachment trauma healing Questions to Reflect On - How can playful symbols help process loss? - What rituals aid healing after miscarriage? A Different Perspective Symbols may not fully capture the depth of grief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-heart/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“In politics, I don’t know which came first, the rubber chicken policies, or the eggheadedness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/in-politics-i-don-t-know-which-came-first-the-rubber-chicken-policies/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [A three-year diet of rubber chicken and occasional crow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/a-three-year-diet-of-rubber-chicken-and-occasional-crow/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [You can't get a suit of armour and a rubber chicken just like that. You have to plan ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/you-can-t-get-a-suit-of-armour-and-a-rubber-chicken-just-like-that/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [Every studio needs a rubber chicken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-jonas/every-studio-needs-a-rubber-chicken/) [Joe Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-jonas/) > [“I know of good people with black hearts. I know of bad people with big hearts. It isn’t always what it seems. 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And it is my face, and yours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-fire-a-fire-is-burning-i-hear-the-boot-of-lucifer-i-see-his-filthy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Vasco bought a bottle of vodka to celebrate and they drank it in the old sailors' graveyard in Mangrove South. This was where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/vasco-bought-a-bottle-of-vodka-to-celebrate-and-they-drank-it-in-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy the black hole in our hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/nothing-will-ever-be-enough-to-satisfy-the-black-hole-in-our-hearts/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) ## More by Monica Drake > [“I asked the cardiologist why an electrocardiogram was called an EKG, instead of an ECG. He said, "Nazis. Nazis invented the machine." After he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/i-asked-the-cardiologist-why-an-electrocardiogram-was-called-an-ekg/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [In the middle of a wrist's suicide slash-line, below the layered skin and above the pulse, there's an acupuncture point that says, “Get back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/in-the-middle-of-a-wrist-s-suicide-slash-line-below-the-layered-skin/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [“The day Travis met Lu he was in his best suit—dark blue, pinstripes, a necktie. Women his age would see right through his sweat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/the-day-travis-met-lu-he-was-in-his-best-suit-dark-blue-pinstripes-a/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [To read 'Happy Talk' is to crash a party as vivid and surreal as Felini's 8. 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"Bottom or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/which-on-am-i-i-drew-my-left-eyebrow-in-a-high-puzzled-arch-which/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [The only value of wasted time is knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/the-only-value-of-wasted-time-is-knowledge/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [The Buddhists say if you meet somebody and your heart pounds, your hands shake, your knees go weak, that’s not the one. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/the-buddhists-say-if-you-meet-somebody-and-your-heart-pounds-your/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [“She didn’t call. That was good. If she called, she’d have a chance to cancel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/she-didn-t-call-that-was-good-if-she-called-she-d-have-a-chance-to/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [“Buying kids booze was against the law but hell, it wasn’t the worst thing he’d done. After that, it turned into a thing—they’d see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/buying-kids-booze-was-against-the-law-but-hell-it-wasn-t-the-worst/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [“Playing Frisbee gave Sean permission to look at Lu, across a short distance. He didn’t have to feel stupid for staring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/playing-frisbee-gave-sean-permission-to-look-at-lu-across-a-short/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [Maybe da Vinci didn’t serve lamb in his painting of the Last Supper, but there was room for interpretation. Jesus himself was the lamb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/maybe-da-vinci-didn-t-serve-lamb-in-his-painting-of-the-last-supper/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [“I kneeled in front of the E M T chair, in front of the mirror on the medicine cabinet, and wiped the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/i-kneeled-in-front-of-the-e-m-t-chair-in-front-of-the-mirror-on-the/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [When life sucks, throw yourself into art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/when-life-sucks-throw-yourself-into-art/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) > [When you meet your 'soul mate' you'll feel calm. No anxiety, No agitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-drake/when-you-meet-your-soul-mate-you-ll-feel-calm-no-anxiety-no-agitation/) [Monica Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) [Explore all 17 Monica Drake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-drake/) ## More Black heart quotes > [“Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy the black hole in our hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/nothing-will-ever-be-enough-to-satisfy-the-black-hole-in-our-hearts/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) > [“Vasco bought a bottle of vodka to celebrate and they drank it in the old sailors' graveyard in Mangrove South. This was where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/vasco-bought-a-bottle-of-vodka-to-celebrate-and-they-drank-it-in-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-fire-a-fire-is-burning-i-hear-the-boot-of-lucifer-i-see-his-filthy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Ritually abusive groups also convince children that something evil has been put inside them. For example, a child is made to believe he or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-miller/ritually-abusive-groups-also-convince-children-that-something-evil/) [Alison Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-miller/) > [“If I've killed one man, I've killed two-- The vampire who said he was you And drank my blood for a year, Seven years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath-daddy/if-i-ve-killed-one-man-i-ve-killed-two-the-vampire-who-said-he-was/) Sylvia Plath Daddy > [“Up until the mid twentieth century the mountain gorilla was considered a myth. Oddly enough, a legend not unlike bigfoot or the loch ness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/up-until-the-mid-twentieth-century-the-mountain-gorilla-was/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [“If you are a crazy person who needs to have clandestine meetings, then, just like in real estate, what matters most is location, location,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/if-you-are-a-crazy-person-who-needs-to-have-clandestine-meetings-then/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [The album 'Hoodie SZN' is about the result of where I come from: it gave me this black heart. And the black heart represents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-boogie-wit-da-hoodie/the-album-hoodie-szn-is-about-the-result-of-where-i-come-from-it-gave/) [A Boogie wit da Hoodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-boogie-wit-da-hoodie/) > [“She'd read in novels of people who couldn't speak because their hearts were too full and she'd always thought, Not my black heart. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/she-d-read-in-novels-of-people-who-couldn-t-speak-because-their/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [“There's nothing quite as funny as someone else's misery - Cassel Sharpe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/there-s-nothing-quite-as-funny-as-someone-else-s-misery-cassel-sharpe/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [“I know of good people with black hearts. I know of bad people with big hearts. It isn’t always what it seems. Generalized boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aquib-ali/i-know-of-good-people-with-black-hearts-i-know-of-bad-people-with-big/) [Aquib Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aquib-ali/) > [“Aisha…is it wrong of me to wish you to break a leg? Into many tiny, little pieces? And when or if it heals…would it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiry-nieves/aisha-is-it-wrong-of-me-to-wish-you-to-break-a-leg-into-many-tiny/) [Eiry Nieves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiry-nieves/) > [“For the supporters of the Dark Romance Revolution. I adore your black hearts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/for-the-supporters-of-the-dark-romance-revolution-i-adore-your-black/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [People turn up at my shows with black hearts on their knuckles, waving their hands in the air like flags.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yungblud/people-turn-up-at-my-shows-with-black-hearts-on-their-knuckles-waving/) [Yungblud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yungblud/) > [No matter how black the heart becomes there is always a small light that will shine through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-black-the-heart-becomes-there-is-always-a-small-light/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 50 Black heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I whispered, \"Do you have a rubber?\" He laughed, hushed, a laughing whisper, as though his parents were in the next room, and reached one arm past my head to a nightstand there. \"A rubber chicken.\" He shook the dancing chicken in the air. \"Will that do?\" I laughed back, ran a finger along the bumps of the fake chicken skin. \"Ribbed and beaked for her pleasure, even. Want me to leave you two alone?\" He threw the chicken on the floor and bit my neck and I giggled and he said, \"Never,\" and he was everywhere then. The couch was a sinking place and I disappeared into the orgy of costumes, the smell of nervous strangers, makeup and smoke, my naked body buried in the perfume of human need. I took the rubber chicken home. Plucky was my mascot, the souvenir of our date. Later, much later, there was the conception of our child. And now the miscarriage, unexpected, though I should've expected it because, why not? -- family slid through my fingers the same as the old silicone banana-peel trick. After the D&C, after the suctioning away of our tiny fetus, I drew the black heart on Plucky's rubber breast in the place where a chicken might have a heart, over the ridges of implied feathers. Indelible ink. Now she'd been nabbed by a kid too young to know what love means, what a chicken might mean. 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