Rest In Peace

The house African Grey will be put to sleep tomorrow morning, if it survives tonight.

I came back slightly past nine to see the bird struggling much more than usual. It has been having difficulty standing for many months already, even with the 3-inch wide perch that the man made for it. In fact, much of the time, it had to grip on to the side of the cage with its beak to stop itself from falling. And the few times it fell, the leg bled badly. But the vet had said before that its legs were arthritic probably due to years of standing on a perch of one size that came standard with bird cages, and nothing could be done to improve its condition.

Tonight, the bird had completely stepped into the food bowl. The foot that was out was bleeding, I was told, since afternoon when it fell. And it looked broken. You can see the desperation with which it was clinging on to the side of the cage and that it was getting tired. The man didn't think it would survive the night. Me neither. So he discussed with the family and decided to put the bird to sleep. But the vet can only come in the morning.

I'll miss the bird. It will always greet you when you return home. Despite all the warnings from the family that it bites, the parrot never bit me. In fact, it likes me scratching its head very much. Probably in part because it couldn't scratch its own head very well with its arthritic legs. It will ask you whether you have eaten when you return, say "open door" when you're leaving, or imitate the sound of the ringing phone or dripping tap just for fun. It also knows when to say "Amen" when my mother-in-law finish praying.

The bird was my father-in-law's. It's been 10 years since he left this earth. I guess it's about time for it too.