ESQUIMALT, B.C. — When David Jenvey was almost six years old, he woke up before his parents on Easter morning, took a raw egg out of the fridge and drew a smiling face on it. “Why not?” David laughs. “Doesn’t everybody draw a face on an egg and put it back in the fridge?” The now-retired David doesn’t remember why he did it or why his parents kept it, but he can’t forget it being a constant presence while growing up. “When you opened the fridge door, you could always see it looking back at you,” David smiles. More than a decade later—after David moved out—the egg stayed put. “It’s a little bit of family history,” David says before revealing the egg was named Eggbert. “There’s no better name for an egg.” Eggbert remained in his parents’ fridge—uncracked and uncooked—for 50 years. After they passed away, David packed it up, so Eggbert could move in with him and his wife Lise. “I think my reaction was, ‘Oh my goodness,’” Lise laughs. “‘Do we have to take it to the next house we’re moving to, too?’” But after moving with the egg five times since, Lise has grown to appreciate it every day. “When I open the fridge, it’s just, ‘Oh! There’s Eggbert,’” Lise laughs. “I haven’t said good morning, but I’m probably saying it in my mind to him.” And soon Lise and David will be saying happy birthday to him. Eggbert is set to celebrate his 60th birthday. He looks good for his age. His felt pen smiley face has faded a bit, something has started rattling around inside him, but his outside remains unscathed. “Not one crack,” Lise says before agreeing Eggbert is sort of inspirational. “He’s strong.” “The older he gets,” David smiles. “The neater it is.” And the older we get, the more precious we realize life is. So, when we can find something that connects us with our past and improves our present, why not preserve it into the future? “It’s not going anywhere,” David laughs.
