He Chose Us

He will turn five this coming month. I don't exactly know which day. All I know is when we got him in September 1, 2001, he was about three months old. Figaro, my Senegal Parrot, was a surprise from Hubby who knew I missed having feathered friends. I once had Sydney, an African Lovebird; Chippy, a blue English Budgie; and Pepper, an Australian Cockatiel. They were hand-fed and raised from when they were still a bit bald and ugly.

Anyway, that September day, we drove up from Florida to Massachusetts. To my surprise, instead of taking the usual route, Hubby took Interstate 91, claiming it was the faster way to get to Boston. I thought that maybe he just wanted to try the scenic route since we were in no hurry. He continually urged me to get some rest and sleep, and I felt something was up. I was right. After driving around like we were lost, he entered a residential area, parked in front of a house and happily exclaimed, "We're here to pick up your baby!" It was the house of the parrot breeder I had corresponded with a few months before. Hubby and I had disagreed on the timing of getting one so I had shelved my plans to get one indefinitely. Apparently, he had asked the breeder to let him know when the next batch of hatchlings would be weaned. By then, she had three chicks that were just weaned so she showed us the three so we could make a choice.

We handled each of them, one by one, but Figaro stood out. Figaro had been taking a bath, so he was wet and funny-looking. He perched on Hubby's finger and just stared at him. He eyed Hubby quietly, cocking his head in wonder as he was spoken to - instant connection. My turn to hold him came and he perched on my hand contentedly as I stroked his head. He then put his beak on my cheek, went to sleep, purring happily, in complete trust. The choice was taken out of our hands. Figaro had chosen us.

That was five years ago. Almost everyday since then, we wake up in the morning to "Figaro! Figaro! Feed Figaro!", the reminder for his morning feeding. He says bye when we leave, and welcomes us home with a "Hi!" or "Hello!" He loves walking around the place. His ultimate destination though are always our shoulders. That's where he is happiest. He stays there for as long as we allow him, preening himself, and us.