this morning, my kids and i got to see two chickadees in a frantic dance of love. the sun was high in the sky with very little cloud cover. the birds swirled and tumbled like an eddy in the ocean. then they seemed to be playing a frantic game of tag-you're-it, carefully tapping each other with their feet or beaks and then sprinting away. then these two love birds landed. their game of tag turned into a game of leap frog with wings a fluttering.
this was such a sweet innocent site to behold. there really is nothing quite like young love, new love, unabashed teenage love. this was our birds. we sat in our car, in the driveway, watching this carefully choreographed dance. isn't it nice to stop and soak in the glorious world around you?
you may have already guessed where this is headed. our story does not have a happy ending, my daughter might be scarred for life and i am convinced more than ever that my son has a twisted sense of humor much like his mothers.
when the birds landed, they didn't land in a lush field with rolling hills. or on a sturdy branch budding out with blossoms and foliage. oh no these two love birds landed on the pavement of a busy thoroughfare in my town. if you recall there was a fatal hit and run in the exact same spot almost a year ago. stupid birds.
as they played leap frog, blissfully oblivious to the eminent danger, a small passenger vehicle plowed into them. sorry, there is not a nice way to say it. one of the birds went tumbling down the center of the lane only to land breast up wings spread on the pavement. the other bird shot into the grass like the eight ball in the corner pocket.
a very audible gasp came out of my daughter's mouth. followed by stunned silence. then the smallest who voice said, "what just happened?" oh dear. operation make everything okay is on. sometimes being a parent you have to think super fast and come up with something that makes sense, is informative but doesn't ensue more questions and hopefully you can smooth it over with a little bit of humor. "oh beauty, i don't think they made it." "what? this is the worst day ever!" "i think we have to look at it this way...they died in love and together. it happened so fast they didn't feel a thing."
my beauty sat in stunned silence on our commute to school, the entire 4 minutes, which is a record she is never quiet. here is where my son comes in to the picture. as any good little brother should he took this moment to twist the knife that just shattered his older sister's day.
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
oh yes he did. before i was able to shut that down, he very quietly trilled the chickadee's familiar song. i told you he has a twisted sense of humor. as his sister's face scrunched up in horror and after i stopped his pestering, i burst out into laughter. not a quiet stifled laugh so as not to further twist the knife, but a laugh that gained momentum as it traveled from the core of my body out my mouth. i quickly glanced back at my daughter just the very left corner of her mouth tilted. an internal sigh fell this is only a small scar.
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