This afternoon as I was heading home, I could not help but notice that the sky was dark. "Is it raining in Bangsar?" I had asked my mom. "Yes, she said, Just drizzling." Well, that's all fine I thought as long as it doesn't start to pour on the way home. But as luck would have it, it did. The rain was quite bad to be honest and I was having difficultly seeing where I was going. Nevertheless, after about one hour of painstakingly long driving, I managed to reach home. The rain had let up by then and it was only coming down as a spray, the kind that is light, but heavy enough to "sting" the skin upon contact.
I parked my car in the driveway and was about the check on my saplings when a brilliant flash of green caught my eye. Grasshopper! Alarms in my head screamed (I'm not too fond of those insects) but, even as I started back to the door I noticed that this flash of green was way too big to be a grasshopper, and quite colorful as well. Green, yellow and with a splash of blue. I took a closer look and to my amazement saw a small little parakeet staring up at me. Now what could this guy be doing here? I wondered. I called for our maid who came to look at it and what a commotion we must have made because a few seconds later mom came out as well.
For awhile the three of us stood there, wondering what to do with the bird. From its feeble attempts it was quite clear that he could no longer (or could never) fly. But of course I could not just stand there any longer, while the bird got wet in the drizzle and so, lowered my hand to it and, coaxed it gently until it crept up and began to perch itself on my shoulder.
"Alright" mom had said. "We'll take it in."
There was a little bit of hassle at first as we could not find a cage big enough to hold the bird (for the nights when I am not around to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble!) and in the meantime I was making a long distance call to dad who is in the Phillipines at the moment. "Hello." I said, parakeet on shoulder. I was honestly quite anxious because to my knowledge dad has never been fond of birds in the house. Dogs yes, hamsters yes. But he drew a line at reptiles and birds. Ah well. "We found a lovebird in the garden. Mom and I decided that we should keep it." To my amazement he said, "okay. If you like."
So we began to buy the necessary items. We shopped around and found a nice big cage. It came with wooden sticks to perch on and a little rope swing that he could get into if he liked. We bought seeds of all kinds and water to sustain the poor bird. Meanwhile, the parakeet pulled at my hair from its vantage point on my shoulder.
I wondered for a moment where he came from and what he was doing in our garden. A bird that could hardly fly....this poor guy must have hopped and fluttered some considerable distance in order to reach here (as far as I know, no a single family in the entire neighbourhood has a pet bird.)
Perhaps he was lost, perhaps he had been "released" by one of those well-meaning but misinformed people who could no longer take care of their pet. Perhaps he had a mate or a friend that he's sorely miissing. But I suppose that didn't matter. Suppose he was quite lucky that he had stumbled into my garden and instead of the jaws of one of our neighbour's cats!
"It's okay little guy," I said. "I'll be your best friend!" The parakeet gave my ear a gentle nip in response.
He's quite settled in right now, in his new home by my bedside. He seems to like it quite a bit because he keeps hopping back inside no matter how many times I take him out and cocks his eye at me and, sometimes offers a little chirp when I enter the room. Mom kept calling him Tweety and now that seems to be the only name he will respond to.
PEACE OUT
