We’d long ago put a runner down on this part of the floor just to make it a little easier for Waldo, but the stubborn toucan always made it a point to walk around the narrow strip of carpet. More of the tightness in my chest eased as the medium-sized black and white bird carefully made his way along the slippery floor toward me. But like clockwork, the little menagerie parted like the Red Sea at the subtle click-clack sound coming down the short hallway from the kitchen to the front door. Bentley, the one dog I’d come into the relationship with seven years earlier, lay dutifully at my feet as the other animals got their attention. The knot of pain that had been building in my chest as I’d gotten closer to the house eased a bit as one animal after another greeted me in their unique way. “Okay, okay,” I murmured as I greeted each four-legged family member in turn. I immediately felt more at ease as the birds began moving up my arm so they could perch on my shoulder at the exact same time that all five of the dogs and three of the four cats rushed into the room. The brightly colored parrot had suffered significant neurological damage at the hands of her previous owner and while it was a miracle she could even fly, if she didn’t have Blueberry around to use as a guide, her ability to hit her target was fifty-fifty at best… even a target as big as myself. While Blueberry was as nimble-footed as they came, Skittles wasn’t so lucky. The colorful macaw was small for her age, so that made the task of steadying her and keeping Blueberry upright at the same time a little easier. Blueberry’s claws dug into my arm as I reached my hand out to catch Skittles before she fell. Just as she settled effortlessly on my arm and got her wings tucked against her body, Skittles slammed into her.
I put out my arm to give the gray parrot a place to land. Claws scraped along the cheap laminate floor and I could practically see feathers flying in the other room as Skittles and Blueberry likely simultaneously took to the air to try and get to me first. I was greeted with a cacophony of barks, meows, and a few high-pitched shrieks.
“What did you do?” I called the moment I walked through the front door.
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