wheelchair. I can walk just fine. I don’t need to be wheeled around in a chair. Damn nurses want to coddle me like I’m a babe in swaddling.”
“You did have a major stroke,” I reminded him.
“No need to remind me. My body does that every day.”
I wanted to say something comforting, but the reality was that Garrett was going through a major life change that would most likely leave him with permanent disabilities for the remainder of his life. It must be a very hard reality to come to grips with.
“Have you thought about transferring to the Gull Island Senior Home? I don’t know a lot about the facility, but what I’ve heard is very complimentary.”
“I may be an invalid, but I’m not a senior. I just turned fifty-eight on my last birthday.”
“Do they have an age requirement?”
“No. Not really. Colin called me early on and we chatted about it. At the time I told him I wasn’t a fan of the idea because I’d be the youngest one in the whole place, but he said there were advantages to being close to folks I know. Guess he might have a point, but I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I may never be able to live on my own again.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through and I’m certainly not suggesting I’m in a position to offer you advice, but I’m sure your friends would welcome the opportunity to spend time with you, and I’d be willing to bet that not one of them would think any less of you for being in a wheelchair.”
Garrett didn’t answer right away, but it seemed as if he might be considering the situation. When he did reply he changed the subject, leading me to believe he needed more time to consider his options.
“How’s Blackbeard doing?”
“He’s doing just great. Kyle has taken a real liking to the bird. Gracie too. The three of them have been playing pirate.”
Garrett chuckled. “Blackbeard loves to play pirate. When I got him he didn’t talk as much as he does now, but the few things he did say had to do with pirates and pirate ships. I have a feeling his previous owner purchased him for the purpose of acting out his pirate fantasies.”
“So you aren’t Blackbeard’s original owner?”
“No. He was still a young bird when I found him, but I wasn’t his original owner.”
“You found him? I just assumed you purchased him.”
“Nope. I was out in the yard one day and the bird flew up and landed on my shoulder. Talk about startled. Luckily, I had the presence of mind not to totally freak out and scare the poor guy. I said something to him—I honestly can’t remember what—and he responded with ‘find the treasure.’ I took him inside and called the local veterinarian. I asked if anyone was missing a parrot, but no one was. I ran an ad in the paper, but no one ever claimed him, so I kept him. We’ve been together ever since. He’s been the perfect companion. He talks but not incessantly, and he loves to watch old movies as much as I do. He’s the one who turned me on to pirate movies, but now we both love them.”
I smiled. “What a great story. We’ve had a lot of fun with him. He seems to actually be communicating and not just parroting words back to us.”
“Oh, Blackbeard can communicate. Don’t doubt that for a minute. He uses words he knows, but the meaning is clear. When he’s hungry he’ll say ‘feed the bird,’ and when he gets mad at me he tells me to ‘walk the plank.’ He’s very intelligent.”
“Any idea what ‘Charlie bad’ might mean?”
Garrett didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “I don’t have a clue. We like to watch Charlie Chaplin movies, but I’ve never heard him refer to Charlie as bad. I’ve heard him mention ‘Charlie’s hat.’ He seems fascinated with that hat. We watched Charlie’s Angels , but Blackbeard usually would just say ‘pretty girl’ or ‘what a babe.’ I can assure you he learned that from his previous owner as well.”
Garrett and I
“You did have a major stroke,” I reminded him.
“No need to remind me. My body does that every day.”
I wanted to say something comforting, but the reality was that Garrett was going through a major life change that would most likely leave him with permanent disabilities for the remainder of his life. It must be a very hard reality to come to grips with.
“Have you thought about transferring to the Gull Island Senior Home? I don’t know a lot about the facility, but what I’ve heard is very complimentary.”
“I may be an invalid, but I’m not a senior. I just turned fifty-eight on my last birthday.”
“Do they have an age requirement?”
“No. Not really. Colin called me early on and we chatted about it. At the time I told him I wasn’t a fan of the idea because I’d be the youngest one in the whole place, but he said there were advantages to being close to folks I know. Guess he might have a point, but I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I may never be able to live on my own again.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through and I’m certainly not suggesting I’m in a position to offer you advice, but I’m sure your friends would welcome the opportunity to spend time with you, and I’d be willing to bet that not one of them would think any less of you for being in a wheelchair.”
Garrett didn’t answer right away, but it seemed as if he might be considering the situation. When he did reply he changed the subject, leading me to believe he needed more time to consider his options.
“How’s Blackbeard doing?”
“He’s doing just great. Kyle has taken a real liking to the bird. Gracie too. The three of them have been playing pirate.”
Garrett chuckled. “Blackbeard loves to play pirate. When I got him he didn’t talk as much as he does now, but the few things he did say had to do with pirates and pirate ships. I have a feeling his previous owner purchased him for the purpose of acting out his pirate fantasies.”
“So you aren’t Blackbeard’s original owner?”
“No. He was still a young bird when I found him, but I wasn’t his original owner.”
“You found him? I just assumed you purchased him.”
“Nope. I was out in the yard one day and the bird flew up and landed on my shoulder. Talk about startled. Luckily, I had the presence of mind not to totally freak out and scare the poor guy. I said something to him—I honestly can’t remember what—and he responded with ‘find the treasure.’ I took him inside and called the local veterinarian. I asked if anyone was missing a parrot, but no one was. I ran an ad in the paper, but no one ever claimed him, so I kept him. We’ve been together ever since. He’s been the perfect companion. He talks but not incessantly, and he loves to watch old movies as much as I do. He’s the one who turned me on to pirate movies, but now we both love them.”
I smiled. “What a great story. We’ve had a lot of fun with him. He seems to actually be communicating and not just parroting words back to us.”
“Oh, Blackbeard can communicate. Don’t doubt that for a minute. He uses words he knows, but the meaning is clear. When he’s hungry he’ll say ‘feed the bird,’ and when he gets mad at me he tells me to ‘walk the plank.’ He’s very intelligent.”
“Any idea what ‘Charlie bad’ might mean?”
Garrett didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “I don’t have a clue. We like to watch Charlie Chaplin movies, but I’ve never heard him refer to Charlie as bad. I’ve heard him mention ‘Charlie’s hat.’ He seems fascinated with that hat. We watched Charlie’s Angels , but Blackbeard usually would just say ‘pretty girl’ or ‘what a babe.’ I can assure you he learned that from his previous owner as well.”
Garrett and I
Similar Books
