an unexpected visitor

An Oriole flew in my living room yesterday. I was in the bedroom cleaning up a dog “accident” when I heard a strange thupping sound. At first I thought it was my bed bumping against the wall when I walked across the room. Then it happened again while I was standing still. Thup. Thupthupthup. Thupthupthupthupthupthup.

I flushed the paper wrapped “accident” down the toilet and turned on the hot water to wash my hands. I had to open a few windows to air everything out of course, so there was a nice warm breeze massaging across the back of my neck. I realized later that there was no smell from the soap when I dried my hands on the towel hanging from the shower curtain rod. Thupthupthup. Thupthupthupthupthup. Thup.

I couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from. It was circling all around my head in an unfamiliar stereo pattern. Maybe it was the tile and porcelain bouncing the echo from place to place. Thupthup. Thupthupthupthup. Thupthup. I looked deep into the brown eyes staring back at me from the mirror and tried to figure out what it was. My left pupil, solid black and perfectly circular held still and motionless. My right refused to hold still long enough for me to get a fix on shape or focus. My lower eyelid bounced up and down uncontrollably manipulated by some unseen puppeteers string. Thupthupthup. Thup. Thupthupthupthupthup.

The mirror fogged briefly from the quick out rush of air I expelled from my lungs. My hands felt good from being washed, skin fresh and clean. Thupthupthupthup. Thupthup. Thup. BAM! I quick stepped out of the bathroom and jumped over the dog. Her ears were perked up high but she whimpered behind me for protection. Thupthup BAM! Thup. Thupthupthup. I looked around and still couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Thup. Thupthupthupthupthupthupthup.

Brown and orange blurred inches from my face. My heart twinged and I ducked down raising my arms in an instinctive pose of self-preservation. Thupthupthup. Thupthup BAM! The bird hit the wall above my living room window and settled down nervously on the curtain rod. His small brown head swiftly looking back and forth trapped and afraid inside this strange box. His small yellow beak opened and closed a few times making no sound. Thupthup. Thupthupthupthup. He flapped his wings a few times but didn’t rise from his perch. Thup.

I must have looked as strange to him as he did to me inside the house. Every morning I talked with this little guy in our front yard. He likes to perch in the dogwood tree a few yards off the porch. I make the kids school snacks, turn on the coffee pot and step out front to get a little bit of air and check the weather. He jumps down from his branch high towards the top and settles in the middle of the grass between the house and the tree. He puffs up his dark orange chest and gives a quick whistle looking right at me. I smile, pucker my lips and whistle right back to him.

His orange breast swells out in a show of strength to show me how brave he is hopping once or twice closer to me and whistles again. This time when I whistle back he cocks his head and hops back three little jumps. I change my whistle to make it higher and louder. His wings flap and I swear if his beak could, he would be smiling at me. By now other birds on the street are chiming in and my little friend takes to the sky looking to protect his territory or find his girlfriend. I go back inside and help the kids get ready for the bus and start our collective day.

Thup. Thupthupthup. The brown and orange blur came straight at me again. I ducked and ran to the window. Quickly I pulled the blinds and pushed up the glass. The screen was still down. Thupthupthup. Thupthupthupthup BAM! Oriole hit the wall above the window on the other side of the room. I fumbled with the storm window locks trying to open the screen so he can find his way out. Thup. Tupthupthup. Thupthup.

He flew across the room again just as I finally got the screen open. I lifted it as high as it would go and made sure it locked in place. Thup. Thupthupthup BAM! He flew into the top of the window this time. He had the right idea but the wrong place. Tupthupthupthup. Thupthup. I raced him across the room to get to the window on the other side. He perched himself atop the curtain rod until I raised the blinds. Thupthupthupthupthupthup. I guess it scared him and he took off again flying in circles around the long room.

I opened the window as fast as my trembling hands would let me. Thup. Thupthupthupthup. Thupthup. The screen locks were jammed. Of course they were! I dug my fingers in as hard as I could and pushed. Thupthupthup BAM! Thupthupthupthup. The tips of my index fingers burned. I could feel the breeze flowing soft between the two open windows on either side of the room. I know Oriole could smell the grass and morning rain too. His circling picked up speed and intensity. Thupthupthupthupthup. Thupthupthup. Thup. Thupthupthupthupthupthup. BAM! The lock on the left side gave a little. I squeezed my hands much tighter than I thought I could these days. I felt every vein in my neck pushing into the inside of my skin. Thupthupthupthup BAM! He hit the window just above the open screen on the other side of the room this time. He was narrowing in on his escape. Thupthup. Thupthupthupthup. Thup.

The screen in my hands lifted. Oriole swooped down from the light fixture in the center of the room wings spread wide gliding through the window into the wide open. Breath heaved from my chest. I was sweating all over. Adrenaline pumped through my teeth. My hands were more numb than usual. But he got out! I watched him land on the grass. Wings flapped and he looked around. Bright yellow beak opened wide allowing his graceful melody to float up to the sky.

I walked around everywhere I could trying to find how he came to be in the house. All of the windows upstairs were closed. The chimney was closed. Other than the two windows in the living room that I opened for him, everything was shut on the first floor as well. There really was no place that I could find that would have let him in. Have to keep looking.

Beautiful bird. Always around to say good morning to me. Definitely welcome in the house as long as he uses the bathroom. Just have to teach him to stop hitting the walls and use the open window instead. I look forward to our next morning conversation. It’ll be interesting to see what he has to say.

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