Canary Nest

Canary Nest

Canary, warbler, yellow finch, Gold Finch, or the Angel of pets?

When my grandmother died, my mother bequeathed to his vast fortune and all its properties and assets holdings, which included a collection of 196 paintings by Mary Cassatt, Degas, Monet, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, and even a masterpiece El Greco.

But all paled in value compared to "Sin" (short for Sinatra) – your canary singing.

Both mother and dad were very happy with the money of Granma, art, property and investment portfolios, but less so with a bird.When inherit my grandmother died, he left my mom to his vast fortune and all its assets, property and possessions, which included a collection of 196 paintings by Mary Cassatt, Degas, Monet, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, or even a masterpiece of El Greco.

But all pale in value compared with sin (short for Sinatra) – your canary singing.

Both Mom and dad were very happy with the money of Granma, art, property and investment portfolios, but not with the heritage birds.

After some initial grumbling, my father began to look at sin, and soon took over the cleaning of the cage, changing water, feeding and care general general. Dad has a high political level work and travel a lot. I guess it's safe to say that he is a celebrity, since I always see his picture in newspapers, television and the Web.

"Ah, the joy of sin," dad would say (echoing the words Gramma), after sin entered in one of his melodic trills.

Whenever dad was at home, increasingly disengaged father of the cage, in seconds, push the canary wise the door and fly. For some reason, and could be a dad bald-Sin, after hovering around the living room, always land on top of the Dad's head. Soon I realized that Dad and Sin has joined in a warm manner that was foreign to me, nature's dad was cool (if not cold) everyone, including mom and me.

While I was away in boarding school, things began to go wrong with my parents, as I soon found out during my weekends and holidays. A life that was tense.

One day, a recognition of burst types, to mom and dad and with no claim control over, the two shouted insults at each other.

It was ugly.

Moments later, after the fight (for their disputes had become wrestling) Ula-Our Lady of Confidence cleaning many years asked me in halting English if I had done something wrong.

'Missy crazy-me? "

"No, Ula."

'Sir,' me crazy? "

"Nein, Ula. Macht du keine Sorge I would reply with a little effort, remembering the words of some German killers lay dormant in my brain. Despite my assurances, moved by Ula apartment, staring at the floor, wringing her hands, feet slipping as quiet as a ghost, afraid of making noise, his eyes filled with tears. Suddenly, The apartment seemed empty and cold, as if a gust of evil wind had swept the remnants of an illusory love fragile. I told him what had happened to Mim, my childhood sweetheart. When Mim and I were growing up, Ula spoke in German and French, and while I have no talent for foreign languages, grew Mim and speaking proficiency in English, French and German.

As the affection they showed for the sin of my father grew up, mama resentment grew, as deep as malignant tumors to the passage of time. For my part, I loved the bird. Sin has fascinated me to no end: at night when the lights were off without a night light was needed at the front because shone like an incandescent bulb. During the day, his plumage was so yellow that seemed wrapped in a mysterious aura.

Uncanny as it may seem, at night as Dad came home, Without going to recognize his footsteps wenden their way down the long hallway, and started fluttering and chirping and coos to the point of hysteria. The generous display of affection that annoyed my mother that has no end, and on top of the injuries, no fluff sometimes, cry, and hostility to the mother. Mom cursed quietly and away from a tantrum.

As usual, after flying and fluttering around And without that land on head dad, and dad is waiting and kissed him, fir him, and finally put him in his cage.

Unexpectedly, one night while Dad was no preparation, was horrified to find a growth under the right wing of Sin. Torn with anguish and worry, dad took him to the animal clinic on 1st Avenue, where veterinarians assured him that such growths were not unusual in the Canary Islands and in most cases were benign. And that was the case of Sin. After surgery, during the recovery time, the father came home early to clean the wound, changing bandages and band aids later, so the bird pet recovery complete.

A terrible morning, Mim, I left a desperate message on my cell phone: "Look at CNN immediately. This is your father, I come to see "I expected immediately. "

All newspapers and television stations carried the news. Dad had been in a car accident in Washington DC, and had been arrested for DUI. A few days later the situation became even worse when it was revealed by the media that he had a lover in the Washington DC area and had had a child out of wedlock. Mother filed for divorce. Although I knew in an instant what the divorce was in the summary, pain and guilt he felt was palpable, concrete, persistent for years without end, my conscience benumbing.

Before my parents married, because Mama comes from old money, the family's lawyers had insisted on a marriage contract before that my father had signed reluctantly. A clause specifying that father was not entitled to the property which belonged to the family of my mother. As a result, the parent would have to leave behind the canary.

The lawyers reached early agreement on everything except the bird. Dad refused to sign the divorce papers unless he was allowed to take sin upon him, and mother, out of spite, are not let the bird under any circumstance.

"Your mother will never yield," said Mim. "Although he hates birds. That's all he wants by rancor continue Sin. "

"Mom never leaves the apartment more. She is even becoming agoraphobic. The only place you will never Solly Pharmacy for Xanax and Valium. "

All the suffering, pain and shame, had taken its toll on my mother, she was now a shadow of the slender beauty I see on the framed photos that adorn our apartment.

"Something's Gotta Give," he said Mim. "The Court is not bound for much longer, and the judges must maintain a clear timetable, if they fall behind are disciplined. "

Annoyed that such a trivial detail is occluded your calendar, the judge Hofeld-a lover of birds and occasional birdwatcher, was in charge of resolving the matter itself, set a date for the Canaries who took to their rooms. When the day came, Mim and I brought sin into the cage to the judge's chambers, and placed in the middle of the long conference table.

'Daddy is going to win " I was muttering to Mim. "There is no way that reminds the mother who is afraid of it!"

"And he has a good reason for it," Mim quietly. Mim know that the mother had tried once to poison Sin.

Let me digress for a minute. One day, found unconscious Ula No in his cage. Without missing a beat called, Ula on my door and hurried me den.

"Der Vogel! Ista Er schon tot!"

"Sin, dead?

In an environment of panic and not knowing what to do I called Mim. Within minutes, Mim lives in Beekman Place, just blocks Sutton Place, "I rang the bell. Ula chattering in French, soon had his opening windows, running fans and air conditioning system.

"Great Ciel! "Or" Mon Dieu, "Ula kept complaining.

"Courage, Ula! A peu de sang froid," he urged Mim.

"Ah, c'est vrai. Affolons Ne pas nous."

"Et tout ira bien," said Mim.

He then asked Mim Ula in search of cotton balls and a gallon of ammonia, and with a quick pass of the hot substance, the bird opened his eyes, snorted, and gave a weak piping twit.

"It's alive!" I cried.

"Marie Reine du Ciel!" Ula said. "Dieu vous benissa That!"

Mim Without held in the palm of your hand and proclaim, his voice cracking, said:

"You were Ne pas pour la mort, l'Oiseau immortel!"

With the battalions of lawyers facing each other across the table, the judge – that certainly was a bird lover – in a matter of seconds he had sinned in response to his whistle warble. Then he opened the door and let sin. Were the second time that followed, the unbearable suspense. Not familiar with the surroundings, the superb warbler flew in circles above the mast itself perch flag American.

Father moved and slid down in his chair and bowed his head bald to make more visible to the sin. Magazines and endless lines musty law books dust on the shelves seemed off and offending smell that was foreign to me.

"The smells terrible, what is MIM?" I asked.

"Yes, I would ask the same thing. Something vile! Like the smell of dead rodents seeps through the walls. "

So this is the smell of the other side of love, I thought, hatred and disappointment. You can not hide what was bothering Mim whispered in my ear: "Watch your hair Mom, she never makes fun of his hair, but today you can see it is fixed in an old fashioned beehive-how strange! "

Look at the bald earth No father, I told myself. "It's going to win with certainty."

After a few seconds of indecision, doubt, sin began to warble a tune low tone that I recognized, I knew the repertoire of Sin heart, and sounds a tone and the melody sounded like these not only melancholy, but strange and mysterious. For a brief moment I thought he was being transported – along with the music of Sin – a dimension of eternity in which all beings are nothing more than notes in a symphony composed infinite God. And life seemed more than a prelude to the eternal work.

"My God, this is the saddest song I've heard sing a canary! "said the judge Hofeldt.

My heart stopped as Without opening the wings.

Sin came right next to mom and landed head-on the top of their hive.

Judge glanced Hofeldt unpleasant father and his lawyers saying: "Sin has made clear. The canary remain in custody of the plaintiff!

If the betrayal can be painted, you may have seen her image in the face of the father. And if I had not seen the betrayal of sin with my eyes, I never would have believed.

A couple of months later, the mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and developed a sin cancerous tumor, so that by mid-year and the same day – which, ironically, it was Father's Day – my mom and my sin both died.

In accordance with Mim, Sin chose my mother just because she had fixed her hair to look like a nest and had cheated on Sin. I disagree. I see Uncoated my mom, not as an act of treason against dad was so worried for him, but as an act of God. But I believe was an angel sent by the Lord to call Mom at her side.

While waiting at the stop Mim M57 bus at 57th Street and First Avenue, I notice that Solly Pharmacy – I've known all my life – is dark and boarded up. But in the soft breeze a pen lasts for a second eye-level, and then lights up and shoots out of sight.

About the Author

Retired. Former investment banker, Columbia University-educated, Vietnam Vet (67-68).
For the writing techniques I use, see Mary Duffy’s e-book: Sentence Openers.
To read my book reviews of the Classics visit my blog: Writing To Live

canary nest/song/birdbath