Enormous and gaudy, he always wanted to reach out and grab me. Whenever I drove my Skylark into the parking lot he preened and flirted. I had to walk by his cage every time I entered Del’s, which was daunting.
Enormous and gaudy, he always wanted to reach out and grab me. Whenever I drove my Skylark into the parking lot he preened and flirted. I had to walk by his cage every time I entered Del’s, which was daunting. He lived in a vast open abode right alongside the front door. His greeting stopped traffic.
My timid “Hi” was a hat-tipping top of the morning aside. I didn’t event want to get near him.
Jan, the manager of Del’s, clued me in. “He’s in love with you,” she said. I groaned.
I seem to attract birds. I think they think I’m a funny looking bird that got plucked.
After a bit, I succumbed. Who could resist Duke’s advances? And he was a Duke. We held hands through the bars and he tried to kiss me. He moved into my house when Del’s closed and the day he came through the gates — locked in a cage in the cab of the truck — he whooped a “Hi!” they heard on O‘ahu. His extra large cage came with him and, once ensconced, Jan said, “He’s in bird heaven.” No longer confined in his cage, his door was always open, when he wanted company he’d stroll on down. Once I had a Quaker-go-to meeting here and he joined in silent communion.
He flew away on a Thursday. His cheerful morning “Hi” sprang from a tree. Between then and the following Tuesday, he flew in and out of the highest, densest branches of seven tall trees. The first two were in my jungle. The third was in an Avatar Banyan across the street and up a steep, wet, slippery red mud bank. When Kaua‘i got hit with a deluge-rain, like water from a fire hydrant high above flooded the road — crossing the street was a messy Olympic feat of athletic prowess.
I slept in my sweats. Every morning, after lightening bolts that seemed to hit every tree in the neighborhood, I’d wake up thinking, “He’s dead.” But then he’s call.
Thursday morning, the sun came out. Also KIUC guys showed up to fix a fallen line. Then Kalaheo firemen I’d called to help in my quest. Then the police. Duke’d appear. Then disappear. His flights kept getting higher. The trees taller. A guy from KIUC, with a bucket lift caught him by the feet, but Duke bit him.
Suddenly the damn bird took a swing back across the street and fell in a heap somewhere in home territory. About 18 of us ran to find him — me, clutching a bag of peanuts and a towel. When we did finally locate him, I threw a towel over his head and, with help, I was unsteady on my feet, we rushed him back to his cage. He gobbled up a bag of peanuts post haste. No thanks.
I was hungry, exhausted, wet, muddy and happy smelly. What won’t a person do for love?
