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Bird Island
Chapter 7
“18”

Patrick Fealey

    Bird sees how it fears Bird, the mother who leads its little ones onto the sand. Bird watches the box the little human drags across the sand and it is true to look at Bird, but Bird will not go to the food if the humans are with it.

    Bird pulls at the hair on Wawp’s lip. Wawp strokes it and strokes it. Wawp’s nose is white and wet and Bird doesn’t like it. Wawp and Bird are sitting in the sun. This is one of the stillest things Wawp does. But there is food here and the one Wawp calls “Amy.” Bird hops onto her leg and pulls on Amy’s fine blonde hairs. Amy laughs.

    Amy swims out while Wawp sits. Amy comes back.

    “See that toddler on the edge of the water,” Wawp says. “If I wasn’t here, he’d have already drowned twice. I’m a hero.”
    “Tommy, you’re cooking,” Amy says. “Put on your hat.”
    Bird flies to Wawp’s shoulder.
    Bird and Wawp are high in the white chair and Bird watches the box of food. The small humans open it and close it. The small humans have drinks. A white gull lands nearby.
    “See the rubber raft on the roof of that car,” Wawp says. “There’s an argument about town ordinances.”
    “I’ll handle it,” Amy says.
    “You’re the lawyer. And that yacht cruising into the mouth of the cove? It’s going to run over a swimmer.”
    Amy says, “We also must look out for open alcohol, kids climbing on lifeguard chairs, people trying to sneak onto the beach for free, broken glass, Man-O-War jellyfish floating in the waves, dogs crapping in the sand, electrical storms, and kites that could fall from the sky and impale innocent sunbathers – or lifeguards. Chill out.”

    The small humans with the food box are by the water sticking their hands into the sand and throwing it. Their white bodies are spotted with black mud. The smaller small human squats in the sand near the water, scooping mud while the other shouts at it, its clenched fists leaking mud down its wrists.
    “Those kids are going to blind one another,” Amy says.
    “Good.”
    “What are you, a nihilist?”
    “You told me to chill.”
    “You want to see one of them get hurt?”
    “No, I want to see all of them go home.”
    “I’m blowing the whistle,” Amy says.
    “That’s what they want. Outlaw status.”
    “Where did they find you?”
    “Here.”
    “How come I never met you?”
    “Different generations?”
    “I’m only four years older than you.”
    The small humans run into the water and fall on one another. The small humans come apart and throw water at one another and into the air. The mother lies in the sun on its stomach, its head up with papers flapping in front of it. The box sits in the sand. The white gull stands with its head up, watching.
    “Have you read Poe?” Amy asks.
    “Sure.”
    “I like him, but do people think you’re weird?”
    “Bird, are we weird?”
    “HOT DAWG!”
    “Does he understand what he’s saying?” Amy asks.
    “Right now he’s hungry, but I’ll tell you, yes. He started young. One time he was on my mother’s clothesline, one of his favorite spots, and she wanted to hang some clothes. She told him to get off. He was only a couple months old. She shook the line, yelling at him to get off . He said to her, clear as day, ‘NO.’ He probably learned that off us kids. He understands what he hears and ravens, which are bigger, have the largest vocabulary of any animal on earth. Sometimes Bird talks in some funky language that is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard, really complicated and beautiful. There are words he can’t say because there are physical limitations. It’s not his language. And of course he reads what’s going on without words. I don’t know what or how he thinks, but he thinks.”
    “He’s funny,” Amy says. “And smart, and gentle.”

    “Do you mind if I read?” Amy says.
    “Go ahead.”
    “Tommy, you ever read this?” Amy says.
    “What is it?”
    “The Sun Also Rises.”
    “Yeah.”
    “He’s a great writer.”
    “He is.”
    “But I don’t like how he portrays women,” Amy says.
    “I’ve heard that before,” Wawp says.
    “What do you think? Do you think he portrays women the way they are?”
    “I don’t know much about women. Maybe he thought he was supposed to like them.”
    “I think he’s a sexist,” Amy says. “And you’re a sexist.”
    “And a nihilist, don’t forget.”
    “Right.”
    “And what are you? A beautiful waitress who’s going to law school in September?”
    “I’m here to make sure nobody drowns.”

    A human is coming toward our perch, a yellow-head in white shorts, the one who was here some other time Bird was sitting with Wawp and Amy. A skinny human with an unbuttoned white shirt, no hair on its chest. The yellow hair on its head hangs into its eyes, over the shiny black glasses. It throws its head back. It wants to mate with Amy. Wawp does not like it and it does not like Wawp. Last time Wawp did not talk to it as it did not talk to Wawp, who it does not want there. Bird smells food in its brown bag, again.
    “Hey Amy!”
    “Hi,” Amy says.
    It stops. Looks up at Amy. “How you been?” Its voice is high, the yellow-headed songbird.
    “Great. You?”
    “Fan-tas-tic,” it says.
    “Dave, this is Tommy.”
    “And that’s Bird,” it says. “We met last week.”
    “Oh yeah. My head is all mixed up from two jobs, studying, and no sleep.”
    “Heard it was busy last night,” it says. “It was busy the other night too.”
    “Dave is a waiter,” Amy says.
    “I brought you something from the restaurant,” it says. “Are you hungry?”
    “Starving,” Amy says.
    “Fantastic. C’mon down and eat.”
    Bird lofts to the sand and walks over. The sand is hot. Amy climbs down while Wawp watches the ocean. “What did you bring me?” Amy says.
    The yellow-head attracts her. It pulls a bag of green grapes from the brown bag. Then a long loaf of bread. Then white paper with something of meat wrapped inside. “Think goose,” it says. Amy puts her nose to the paper.
    “Pate?”
    “You got it.”
    Bird lands on Amy’s shoulder to be noticed. She likes Bird. It gives Bird a grape. Bird holds it in Bird’s throat and waits and it gives Bird another grape, and another grape. Bird’s throat full, Bird flies up to Wawp’s shoulder. Bird brings up a grape and pushes it on Wawp’s mouth. Bird pushes it against Wawp’s teeth. Wawp makes a noise at Bird, then accepts it. Bird swallows the other grapes and glides down for the meat.
    “Now the pate is for us,” it says. “You wouldn’t want to eat one of your own.”
    “Sure he would,” Wawp says.
    “‘The Raven’ can eat Mother Goose for lunch,” Amy says.

    Amy walks down to the water and bends, puts Amy’s hands in, cups water and splashes Amy’s arms. Amy splashes Amy’s legs, rubs Amy’s legs. Amy brings water to Amy’s face.
    Wawp says, “Bird, she’s the most beautiful woman I have ever known. The most beautiful woman I have ever really talked to. Notice her voice? It’s like velvet on sandpaper. She’s sharp. Cody was telling me all about her body, her long legs, her dirty blonde hair. It’s all true, but that I get to look into her sunny green eyes every day . . . That has given me reason to think my life has turned some corner.”
    Amy climbs back to be with Wawp and Bird and says, “You didn’t eat. You should have some food.”
    “I’m gonna get one of those gaggers,” Wawp says.
    “Disgusting.”
    “A little mustard, a little onions, they taste like . . . Like hot dogs.”
    “HOT DAWG!”
    “See, Bird approves.”
    “Bird would eat a dead skunk. You two oughta come over my house for dinner some night,” Amy says. “Do you like swordfish?”
    “I love swordfish”
    “FISH! DONALDFISH!”
    “It’s not Donaldfish, Bird.”
    “I get my schedule tomorrow. I’ll cook you dinner one night next week.”
    “Really? Okay. Yeah.”
    “What do you think of Dave?” Amy asks.
    “What?”
    “I mean, do you like him?”
    “I don’t know. For you, you mean?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Dave? He’s nice.”
    “He is. But I don’t know if I’m into these hyper-sensitive types. Do you know what I mean?”
    “You mean like the pate?”
    Amy laughs. “Yeah, the pate.”
    “I don’t know either,” Wawp says.
    “Do you have a girlfriend?” Amy says.
    “No.”
    “Well, it’s summer and anything can happen.”

    The sky moves before the sun. The day goes out and the beach is grey. The wind comes up fast off the water, taking sand and putting it into Bird’s eyes. The water sprays the sand. Amy pulls on soft gray pants. Wawp and Amy put on their orange coats. The wind blows the humans into their cars. The last mother herds its small humans toward the car, dragging the food box behind. It is Bird with Wawp and Amy, perched in the wind and cold, watching the water jump white.

    A big blue car comes up and stops with its front in the sand hill. Three humans get out and slam doors. The humans look toward Bird and Wawp. “Idiots,” Wawp says. “Bet you they want directions to the lighthouse.”
    “Or they want to walk a cat, because this beach is one giant litter box,” Amy says.
    One of the humans comes close and calls out Wawp’s other name, “Tommy!”
    “Billy?” Wawp climbs down.
    “Hey!”
    “Hey!”
    The human is big and has red spots. He looks at Bird.
    “You have a Bird on your shoulder, dude,” it says.
    “Bird’s a crow. The Bird is Bird. This is Billy, Bird.”
    “Those things scare me. Don’t they bite?”
    “It’s the peck you gotta be afraid of. But Bird is one of us.”
    “He’s one of you.”
    “Is that Jones you got over there?” Wawp says.
    “Yep, and I got Michelle over there too, if you wanna see her.”
    “Michelle who?” Wawp says.
    “Your Michelle.”
    “Michelle?” Wawp looks to the car. Wawp follows red spots over to the two humans standing at the blue car. A yellow-head female and a tall human with long arms and coiled black hair. The yellow-head is smiling and Wawp’s neck is tight. It has big blue eyes and Bird knows Michelle. It was Wawp’s mate and it is smiling again. Wawp and Michelle press against one another and Michelle’s hair is in Bird’s eyes. Michelle smells like a mate. Bird blinks and twists. Wawp lets Michelle go and the humans and Michelle stand looking at Wawp.
    “Still have him,” Michelle says.
    “Yep. He follows me to school every day.”
    “You’re the only guy I know.”
    “What are you guys doing on the island?”
    “Just driving around,” red spots says.
    “Just driving around,” the tall human says.
    “We heard you got yourself a government job,” red spots says.
    “I didn’t know you could swim,” the tall human says.
    “I took a course in it.”
    “I don’t know if I would swim here,” the tall human says.
    “The sewage pipe discharges over a quarter mile out,” Wawp says.
    “You want to go for a walk?” Michelle says. “I want to go for a walk.”
    “No,” red spots says.
    “We just stopped to say hi,” the tall human says.
    “I want to go for a walk,” Michelle says. “Do you want to go, Tommy?”
    “Sure.”
    “You’re going to desert us?” The tall human says.
    “Yes.”
    “Just like that?” the tall human says.
    Michelle smiles.

    Wawp and Michelle walk the sand. Bird follows the feet. Bird has followed Wawp and Michelle in the sand before. The sand is fine and with stones. Bird finds more plastic tubes and glass. Bird hops along, close to the water, looking for crabs and fish. Waves come in flat and rushed by the wind. Wawp and Michelle stop and Michelle takes off Michelle’s shoes. Michelle’s white feet are wrinkled and Michelle’s toes shine red.
    Wawp, Michelle, and Bird go along the water. Michelle walks in the water. Wawp looks back. Amy is sitting in the perch alone. Amy is looking away. A wave rolls up Michelle’s legs and Michelle laughs.
    “It’s cold!”
    “I’ve thought about you,” Wawp says.
    “I’ve thought about you too. I’ve missed you.”
    “How’s school?” Wawp says.
    “More than I thought, but they help us.”
    “The Ivy League way.”
    “Shut up,” Michelle says.
    “I’ve dropped out of pre-med. I’ve been writing for the school paper and doing coke.”
    “It’s all about finding your way. I’m lucky. I knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was a kid.”
    The sand stops where the smooth flat rocks and big dark rocks are piled in the waterline. Wawp helps Michelle up and they move slowly from rock to rock. Bird flies from rock to rock. Wawp and Michelle talk. Wawp and Michelle climb down to the water and Bird follows. Together crouched on a rock, looking into a pool. Barnacles wave and hermit crabs walk by under the other Wawp and Michelle. Bird sees a black bird on the water and sees Bird.
    “Bird, who’s that?”
    Bird turns.
    Wawp and Michelle laugh.
    “Shouldn’t you get back?” Michelle says.
    “It’s okay. Amy is cool. There’s no one to watch. Except you.”
    Wawp leans into Michelle and puts Wawp’s face to Michelle’s.
    Wawp and Michelle hop to another rock. Wawp and Michelle climb up the side of the high rock and stand on it. Bird flies to Wawp’s shoulder. Wawp is looking toward the beach, a narrow band of sand across the cove where Amy is an orange seagull, small and with nobody else.
    “I have to get back,” Wawp says. Wawp sounds like something is wrong.
    “Okay,” Michelle says.
    Wawp and Michelle touch faces and Wawp leans into Michelle. Bird glides away from Wawp and Michelle. Wawp puts his hand on Michelle’s back and his hand on Michelle’s front. Michelle puts Michelle’s hands on Wawp’s back. Wawp and Michelle stand on the high rock like mates.
    Wawp and Michelle climb down the rock toward Bird. Wawp and Michelle move fast, jumping from rock to rock. Wawp and Michelle run across the flat ones.
    “What are you doing tonight?” Wawp says.
    “I don’t have any plans,” Michelle says.
    “You want to do something?”
    “Me and you?” Michelle says. “Sure.”

    The blue car shakes. The noise hurts as the glass goes down and red spots looks out. The noise goes down. Bird sees the tall human past red spots. He is stiff while red spots looks at Wawp and Michelle. Michelle says, “You guys can go. I’m staying.”
    “Whatever,” red spots says. The tall human stares at the water.
    Wawp stands.
    The noise comes up. The black tires spin, kicking white sand into the wind.
    The blue car is gone.
    “You can wait in my car,” Wawp says.
    “Okay.”
    “I have to get back to work.”
    Michelle follows Bird and Wawp to the pale red car and Wawp opens the door for Michelle and Michelle gets in. Wawp gives Michelle the ring of shiny keys Bird wants.
    “I might use the radio,” Michelle says.

    Wawp walks back to Amy. Amy’s hood is pulled around Amy’s face on the ground at the bottom of the white perch. Amy’s face is behind the black glasses and deep inside the hood. Wawp sits beside Amy. Wawp and Amy, Bird’s friends, do not talk. Bird hops from Wawp’s shoulder to his leg to get out of the wind.
    “Where the hell did you go?” Amy says. “No! Don’t tell me! What do you think this is? You think you can just take off and go screw what’s-her-name and leave me here alone?”
    “Was it stressful?” Wawp says.
    “What?”
    “ . . .”
    Amy smiles. “No, it wasn’t stressful. There was no one here, except Dave, again.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Who is she anyway?”
    “Her name is Michelle and we didn’t screw.”
    “Is she an old girlfriend?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Do you still like her?”
    “I don’t know.”

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