"The friendship of a dog,
is without a doubt,
more intense and more constant
than that of a man.”
Montaigne
At first, it was a bit hectic. Aerial always was good tempered but she was a baby and loaded with energy. She got a clean bill of health from our Vet and I was all right with everything. I took everything in stride, much to my own surprise. I took a million pictures and some videos of her. This little one brought such happiness into my life. I just loved watching her play, and I think she knew that. One evening, when Aerial was with us a month or so, I was on the floor playing with her. Max, my Parrot, was in his cage close by sqawking a TV theme playing in the background. Max is a sweetheart but at times he can be very loud. His timing, however, is always right on the money.
After a while, I was tired and abruptly stopped. I got up and went to sit on my favorite spot on the couch and noticed Aerial was gone. I called her and called her. I heard her upstairs. I called her again and she appeared at the top of the landing. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you”, I said sternly. She looked at me and disappeared again. As I called her again, a streak shot by me. I gasped for air and finally got my voice back. I stood on the stairwell. My eyes followed a trail of toilet paper from the upstairs bathroom, down the stairs, around the recliner, across the room, and around one leg of the Captain’s chair at the dining room table before it finally broke off.
How could she do that so fast??? But, in fact, she did. As I called to her, our eyes met. Exhausted, she sat beside the Captain’s chair. Fuming, I yelled, “Look what you did!! You bad girl!”. Her ears went down. From behind me, a condescending voice repeated over and over, “bad girl, bad, bad girl”. It was Max. I turned and gave him a "special" look (a look as my grandma could only give me when I acted up as a kid). I hollered to him to be quiet, and, naturally, he got louder.
At this point, everything struck me funny and I sat on the floor and laughed. What was so wrong? She’s a baby - she doesn’t know - she was playing. It was toilet paper - no damage done. I had just sat down and Aerial comes full steam and jumps in my lap, showering me with kisses and love as only she can.
And Max, he was in the background, repeatedly doing his Jimmy Cagney laugh, making kissing sounds and yelling in the highest pitch imaginable, "ohhhh, yeahhh!".
After that, we did not close off any rooms, and, for some reason, Aerial obsession with toilet paper subsided as abruptly as it commenced. For that, I was relieved. I did, however, notice that she was increasing becoming fond of my red plaid shirt - cuddling with it and claiming it as her own. Somewhat tattered and torn, Aerial has that red plaid shirt to this day. Only I am allowed to touch it.
Update:
Much to my heartbreak, on Wednesday, March 6, 2002
Mackie passed over after a short illness.
He was one month short of his 15th birthday.
There is now a void in my heart
and in our home.
The loss of Mackie is a hard blow for all of us
including Aerial, who constantly circles and lays
in the space of our living room where Mackie's
cage once stood.
My Little Mackie
He now soars in God's heaven and
carries my love with him as he
flies with the Angels.
My Little Mackie
You are sadly missed but you are never
far from me, for you shall
live forever in my heart.
I love you, Mackie!
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