On our way to checkout at the pet store my husband Lon says, “Babe, let me show you what I want to get the boys.” As I followed him towards the fish tanks I watched a mental trailer of my kids sticking their hands into the tank in attempts to grab their new pets, end up fighting and the tank crashes to the ground with shattered glass, water and flopping fish everywhere! Aaaaaaaaaaaa!
Yes, this is the kind of crazy chaos that goes on in my head in 2.3 seconds. No joke.
Moving on…Lon can see my face of horror and we decide that a fancy fish tank may be a few years down the road for us. As we walk away we pass the birds section and out of the corner of my eye the most beautiful Cancun ocean blue calls out to me. I never really thought of myself as a bird person, but I thought what’s $20 for the kids to get to see these guys everyday? The Lovebirds were all snuggled up together, scared, and unsure while still stunningly beautiful. We decided to take them home, (before I saw the price). Just FYI, Love birds are NOT $20! But after all was said and done, we came home with a vintage cage and our birdies.
The boys were excited and crazy in welcoming them. The poor birds seemed reasonably terrified. We went through names and Kieran stuck to “Jack” and “Sally” from Nightmare Before Christmas. Rylan was the most sweet and attentive to them. So much so, that he stuck his finger in the cage to pet Jack and got bit good and hard. He cried for 2 minutes and was right back to coo-ing at them.
For an entire week the boys came home to say hi to Jack and Sally. We should been more careful in their name selection. Afterall, Sally does escape everyday in the movie. Lon hung the birds outside under our patio during the day one afternoon and when he checked on them the cage door was somehow completely open and they were gone.
Although my Mama heart was devastated, I have to admit I was a bit relieved. I kept thinking how we don’t go to the zoo, or Sea World for the same reasons – I can’t stand to see wild animals caged. And in that thought, I hope they fly far and wide and free for the rest of their lives. When we told Kieran, he told us how we needed to find them and look for them always. And we agreed. We hope that in some years down the road we are at a park and see a huge flock of turquoise blue love birds in a tree and we all shout- “Jack! Sally!”
The Happiest Club on Earth 