Way in the Back

Sorry for all the typos~ I tried to fix them. My "editor" deleted a couple of sections.  this is my result when I type up north with spotty reception. Try again~ Better this time I think

For the last three years, a mother robin has nested in the highest rafter of our gazebo in the bistro.  She doesn't complain about the parties much as long as we retire at a decent hour.  She doesn't even seem to mind the toddlers.  I talk to her when I am outside writing or contemplating life.  We bond. ;) Well I noticed the flurry of activity the other day and told the kids to watch out because Mrs. Robinson's nursery was all aflutter.  There was the faintest peeping as the hatchlings wobbled around in the upstairs apartment.

Fast forward to the other afternoon.  We are getting previews of a hot summer and wet spring all in a matter of minutes here. It makes for quite a show.  I was just getting home from work; later than usual in fact.  I wanted to get outside and go for a quick run before the kids got home.  I also wanted to let the toddlers out for an intermission and whiz-filled recess.  I changed, gathered the troops and headed downstairs.  I opened the screen and began to open up the house.  It was sunny; brilliantly warm in fact.  The air was ... ripe and heavy and stinking like ... I gagged and looked accusingly at the toddlers.  Had they failed? Had they actually taken a big ole mega-doo at my feet? On my PANTS? This was disgusting.  I covered my nose with my sleeve and swiped at my eyes that were watering.  I gagged again.  The "kids" were jumping and huffing... "Lemme out lemme OUUUUUT! There's something going ON out there!"  They shoved and pushed heir little faces on  the screen. On top of the beer fridge, I discovered a small glistening bag in the sun. I picked it up and by the corners, tilted it. The wet grey mass inside slid and thumped to the corner. I seesawed it again and it became clear to me. A small hatchling, lifeless,  fluttered to the opposite corner, eyes large and bulging. A wing seemed to reach out to stop the collision; failed, but managed to toss a cloud of soggy decaying death at me. My insides made one last threat- My lunch  revisited me.  The toddlers were hopping up and down, ran out to take emergency pee breaks and came dashing back up to attempt to scale the small fridge. Winston tried to get up the front face while Birdie took to the steps to scale the side. They chuffed excitedly at each other.

" Who is this smell?  I want to roll in it."

"I know I KNOW ME FIRST!"

"Don't hog it all. You always hog all the stinky stuff."

"First one to the top ... GO~"

I recovered and put the tiny carcass in an additional bag, tossing it to the trash.  I was furious. Why had one of the kids done this? I burped, coaxing my belly to settle down, and waited.  Boo was first on the scene.  He was almost immediately exonerated by his own reaction.

"What the HELL are we having for supper?" He Dracula'd his face and coughed.

I sat patiently thrumming my fingers on the table.  "It's a bird. A bird that was put in a bag and left in the sun.  AAAAAAAALL day."

"Why'd ya do THAT?"

-gotta love my son. I sucked in my lip and stifled the laugh. "I didn't.  Did YOU?"

His eyes flew open and he vehemently shook his head; his hair flopping like the tiny body in the bin.

"Oh God no. Mom I SWEAR!"

Just then the phone rang.  It was Cheech who had been away this week.  It's been a very long hard week but that is another path for another time.

"What's up?"

"Nothing compared to what came down."

"Huh?"

I proceeded to tell him the story of what I'd found.  I could hear his nose wrinkling and feel his eyes squinching up as I tried to share my misery.

"Enough. I get it. Gross. Soooo it was Maddie?"

"Had to be."

"Oh please tell me it was already dead and she didn't put it there to keep it for a pet ..."

"Ewwwww- YOU stop."

I heard my daughter coming around the back ~ something NEVER done.

"Awwwww ~ it's gone."

Mystery solved.  I waited as she and her friend spoke quietly.  Then I asked her to come upstairs "for a quick minute"

"Yes, MaMA..." she bounced up and smiled at me.

"Missing something?"

She cocked her head.

"Someone?"

She again opted for the Winston pose.

I sighed and cleared my thick throat.  "Maddie Honey, did you find a bird?"

She smiled and nodded.  "Oh yeah mama, I found a little dead one this morning.  It must've fallen and died.  I wanted to bury it but it was raining this morning so I put it in a bag and put it in the shade on top of the fridge outside.  It's gone now though, so a cat or something must've gotten it."

"No, I did." and I smiled a little.  Partly because she was so sweet and gentle. Partly because she had no idea what she'd done. "Honey, the top of the fridge gets sun almost all day long.  That lil squab has been roastin all day in that bag.  When I got home, it was more than cooked in its own juices of stink."

She winced and put her had to her forehead. "ewwwwww Oh mom. I'm SO sorry. Oh that's so gross."

I nodded.

"Can I bury it still?"

I thought about it. "Well I guess if you still want to."

"It's kinda important.  No one should be thrown away."

I felt bad. "You're right. - Just make sure you put it way in the back of the yard. Kay?"

She smiled, nodded and went for the spade.

"Wayyyyyyy in the back."

"Yep. Got it Mom."

"Way back there."

She stopped and smiled. "Where? Here by your chair in the bistro?"

"Uhhh No. How about under your window, Genius."

She laughed and disappeared.

"Wayyyy...." I whispered.



It has been an awfully long week. I hope that you had a better one.  Enjoy the weekend and Mother's Day.

Thank you for visiting. It's nice that we share this time together.