Connie's Corner

Love at first sight...

JULY 30 --- SATURDAY PROMPT --- Write a story, poem, essay, composition including: Love at first sight & an ideal or an impromptu vacation.


I'm not sure this exactly fits the prompt, but it was the first thing I happened to think of when I read "love at first sight".

Way back when I was nine years old (yes, I can remember that far), my mom told me she was getting me a surprise for my birthday. I had a few ideas of what it might be. On the Saturday morning before the big day, she roused me early, fixed us breakfast, and scooted me out the door to go shopping. I figured new clothes or that Monopoly game I'd been wanting or maybe a new bidycle. When we passed by all the stores for those items, my spirits fell, and my ideas evaporated. What could it be?

She pulled into a parking spot in front of the pet store, and I got excited again. Now, you are probably thinking dog or cat...no way. Mom headed straight for the parakeets. She had everything picked out, cage, food, dishes, toys, but I got to choose the actual bird. There were about thirty of them in a huge cage, all hopping around, hanging from the cage wires, sharpening their beaks, making bird noises, swinging, pecking at themselves in mirrors, and yes, pooping, too. Some were green with yellow heads and black lines and some were blue. I put my finger through the cage and a couple came to investigate, hanging on beside it, and bumping against my finger with their beaks.

"Do any of them talk?" I asked the store manager.

"That's your job. " He didn't beat around the bush. "You have to teach them. Some will and some won't."

"How do I know which ones will?"

"Well....the ones with the little blue thing over their beaks are boys, and they are supposed to be the faster learners."

That's how I picked out Petie. He was hanging on the wire beside my finger, looking me right in the eye, and shining his big blue nose at me. His body was green and his head had bright yellow feathers that raised up in a comb when he got agitated.

"I want him."

The salesman pulled out what looked like a shoebox with small round holes in it. He opened the cage door, reached in and grabbed Petie around his body with one hand. He put him into the box and put the lid on. Petie did not make a peep. The salesman handed me the box, and I held it like it was a piece of fragile china. Mom carried all the rest of the stuff and put it in the car.

At home, I had to wait with the closed box until Mom had the cage set up and ready. That meant putting newspaper in the bottom and filling the little dishes and sliding them in place onto the wires. She hung up the mirror and a swing and attached a little plastic cover to the bottom that cantilevered out to catch stray seed shells. Petie's new home was ready.

I took off the lid and put my finger in front of Petie's claws and, being the smart boy I knew he was, he hopped on and let me carry him to the cage door. He was at home from day one.

Petie and I were best friends for many years. I taught him how to say "Pretty Boy", "Hello", "Pretty Petie", and to whistle that whistle that all girls love to hear...you know the one. That's how he greeted me when I came home from school. I did love Petie. I let him out almost everyday for exercise, and he flew from curtain rod to curtain rod and surveyed his domain. Sometimes, he rode around on my shoulder and nibbled on my ear. At night I covered his cage with a towel so he could sleep without being disturbed by a light. When morning came, he was the first one awake, talking and whistling for his breakfast.

When I was eighteen, I went away to school, and of course, Petie was not allowed to come. I am ashamed to say I don't think I missed Petie as much as he missed me. I had other friends, but Petie only had me. When I came home for Thanksgiving, I knew something was wrong as soon as I came in the door. There was no whistle from Petie. Mom broke the bad news to me. Petie had died two days before. I cried for a long time.

So when I saw that prompt...love at first sight..., Petie was my first thought. He was my faithful friend for nine years, and I'll never forget him.

until next time...c