Love Letters by Leah Lockheart Rogers
Ty hated my boyfriend, the handsome Mediterranean who lived with me for six months. The grey parrot hasn’t bit me in 10 years, but he drew foreign blood for sport. Not that the parrot made much effort to attack. He was more of an opportunistic blood-taster. I told Mr. Med to just leave the parrots alone, to only interact to give them treats, let them build a relationship with him on their own terms, but he wouldn’t have it.
Mr. Med felt that since we were both animal trainers, my birds should do as he wished them to do. He was irritated that Ty and the other parrots wouldn’t learn the whistles and words he tried to teach him. So he insisted on reaching into their cages to change bowls and papers, chasing parrots that had landed on the floor and demanding they step up, calling out cues to which the parrots rarely complied and shoving his hand beneath the glaring grey. Ty bit him.
Mr. Med would scream, throw a tantrum and yell at me to better train my birds. Ty seemed to look at me accusingly as well, but I didn’t consider or translate his actions. Instead I worked harder to get things on cue and build confidence.
While I tried to work things out between my beloveds, Mr. Med got busy too. When I wasn’t home, he read through my journals and examined what friends wrote in my high school year books, reaching into my private space and then accusing me of not sharing my innermost thoughts. He started fights and remained doggedly at my heels when I begged to be alone so I could think and calm down. He made demands and pointed out my flaws when I didn’t meet them. He insisted that I change and when I refused called me selfish. Ty was right. I should have bit him.
It took me almost a year to figure out what Ty saw from the get go. So I listened when Ty fell in love the falconer.
The Falconer only messed with the parrot cages when there was no choice. He never asked them to do anything on cue and never expected them to step up for him, although Ty would go anywhere with him. When Ty whistled The Falconer whistled back. They learned to have their own conversations. Ty learned the theme to the “Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” apparently their own private song because he has never been willing to whistle it for me. The Falconer gave me space, never made demands and encouraged the things I loved. Ty was right. He was a good guy.
The Falconer and I didn’t make it in the long run. I’m sure Ty could express some things about me that would explain why. Years later though, we’re close friends and if something happens to me, he’ll be inheriting Ty. Unless, of course, someone else wanders into my life, rocks my world and sweeps Ty off his didactyl feet.
So think about parrot lovers. What is your parrot saying about your lover? Maybe you should listen…
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Catch up on Tuesdays with Ty
Good post, Rebecca! Never trust a man your parrot doesn’t like.
Is that a brown-head on your shoulder in your blog picture???
Hi again! You’ve got a couple of dead links on your rightside menu. Beautifulnotecards and Companion Parrot Connection (did they go out of business once Sally left?)
I didn’t check ‘em all — I was just procrastinating about writing . . . sigh . . . back to it now!
Good point. I haven’t checked my links if forever. I’m on it!
Sounds like some really good advice!!!!!!
I have found out that parrots as well as other pets are a great judge of character.
I used to share my life with a Jenday Conure, Elmo. Now she shares her life with the man in MY life and i’m only utilised as a temporary perch because sooner or later she knows i’ll be getting close enough to him so she can migrate! Bah!
As someone on the other side of this equation, I must say that not all parrots have Ty’s impeccable taste. At least that’s what I’m telling myself — my severe macaw is just a bad judge of character
The rest of my parrots like me so I can’t be all bad!
Well, my Senegal, Loki is an equal opportunity hater when it comes to all except me. Of course, I would do the work to make that relationship livable for anyone Ty approved of…
I love your perspective on living with birds! My girlfriend had a several birds when we met, and her sun conure eventually took to me. Now, the bird is my best little buddy, but we’ve had to work through her aggression toward my girlfriend.