The Quiet Mr. Curtis

The rosary in her hands comforted her a little, but just a little. Lucy Chow finally unclasped her hands and put the rosary in a little plastic bag near her computer. She was done asking Mother Mary to send help. Mary must be totally busy, and has forgotten all about me, Lucy grumbled to herself as she helped herself to another cup of percolated coffee.

For too long, she had felt unhappy in her marriage. After 25 years of living with Luke, she had felt she wasn't a good fit with her husband, an accountant, who always made sure that they would never have enough money for extravagant dinners. Aside from his tight budget, mostly, she was bored. Tired of the same dishwashing with the same cheap dish soap from the dollar store, the same weeknights with Luke watching Dateline, the humdrum weekend nights hanging out with his friends who wanted to play the monopoly game nonstop.

At 56 years old, Lucy, an artist, also felt that her time for happiness was running out. She used to be good-looking in her twenties, and now that she was older, she noticed more lines and her hair was getting grayer. She wanted more out of life and felt envious of her friend, Jane, from Taiwan. Jane, she felt was her role model -rich, a divorcee, and she flaunted her

Spanish dance-teacher, Juan, who was also her lover.

That night a few hours later, memories of her younger days flashed before her. She recalled the happy times when she and her husband traveled in Paris and went up to the Eiffle tower. But ever since the pandemic, they didn't do much anymore. Travel was out of the option. And the more she saw him at home, the more she dreaded staying there. Plus, his quiet demeanor at home was getting to her. She felt ignored and homely.

She lay down on her bed, thinking about a new life away from Luke. She decided it would be best to move out and stay with her friend Jane for a few months. Then, she may decide to hop on a plane and teach in Spain -- a country where Juan bragged of knowing many places looking for English teachers.

She rolled over and tried to sleep on the couch. In a few hours, her husband would be home.

She remembered the divorce lawyer that she had called the week before. He hadn’t even returned her call yet, even though he promised he would last Friday.

At the meeting, Cole Hunter, her lawyer, had asked her the reason for the divorce.

“Irreconcilable differences,” she had said quietly. She remembered how her own parents had lived a life of unhappiness --always quarreling over trivial things. Lucy's mom had married due to pressure from her traditional parents. Lucy knew that her Mom was terribly unfulfilled and felt stuck. She didn't want to be like her.

“Lucy!” a man’s voice called from outside the front door. She felt that it couldn’t be her husband, who had left for work hours ago.

She stirred on the couch. “Yes,” she answered, annoyed.

The voice from outside yelled, “I have been knocking on your door and you haven't answered. I am from Hunter and Associates.”

Lucy bolted and thought, “That must be the divorce lawyer.”

Grabbing a robe, Lucy quickly opened the door, and a small bespectacled man emerged, holding a briefcase.

“Thank you, “ He said, reaching to shake her hands. “I am sorry, Cole couldn’t make it but he sent me instead. My name is Mr. Curtis.”

Lucy said she was happy he came and quickly rushed him to a chair in the dining room.

“I am so happy you came, Mr. Curtis,” Lucy said, “I wasn’t expecting a visitor. Coffee?”

The man agreed to just a “tiny amount of coffee, and no milk," he said, explaining his preference for being vegan.

As he picked up the cup to drink, Mr. Curtis glanced in the direction of a glass figurine on the coffee table.

“My, that’s a beauty, this figure,” He slowly lifted up the dainty glass figurine of a scarlet macaw.

Lucy gazed at the figurine and said carefully. “Yes, my husband bought it for me in the gift shop as we were heading to catch the plane in Belize. He said since I love parrots, I would always remember this beauty.”

Mr. Curtis said, without a pause, “Too bad it’s missing part of the wings. Where’s the other piece?”

Lucy pointed to the kitchen. “Yes, it broke when I was cleaning up. I just never bothered gluing the wings back. “

“Ah,” Mr. Curtis seemed pensive.”It’s too bad you feel this way about this bird.”

He walked quickly and found the broken glass wing and put it to the main body of the glass macaw.

“I just happen to have some glue.” Mr. Curtis reached into his pocket and carefully pressed the glue on the tiny wing and attached it to the macaw.

Lucy was grateful. “Thank you, Mr. Curtis. It looks wonderful. I was so consumed with this divorce, I just didn’t have time for the small things.”

“I understand,” Mr. Curtis said, agreeing and smiling at the glass macaw. “You know, I am from Belize and macaws are becoming extinct because of poaching and lots of people stealing. But thanks to a renewed effort from conservation groups, the macaw is being aggressively protected. Love is like the endangered macaw. One must also protect and preserve love.”

Mr. Curtis handed the glass scarlet macaw to Lucy, who looked at the

figurine in amazement. “ It’s so beautiful,” she said quietly.

Mr. Curtis continued, “Divorce is not the right answer for some couples. I think for you and Luke, you have something special. Do you not have more good memories than bad memories? " he said, lifting up a few picture frames of the couple on the counter.

He continued, "I am sure you can count on one hand the bad times you have, and you have countless memories of the good times.”

Lucy nodded. “Yes, I agree, sometimes our fights are short and stupid.”

“Yes, and I am sure you would be so unhappy with a divorce.” Mr. Curtis stroked the glass scarlet macaw fondly. “Your love for Luke is rare and you should be happy with it. Your love is like this rare bird. You see it and you take it for granted, and when you do nothing about it, it will disappear. Just like your love. If you tune out love, it will go away. Tune in love, and you will be so much happier. Your love will fly away to new heights, like the 80’s song, “Broken Wings.” Mr. Curtis said. He began to sing a few bars from the song by Mr. Mister.

Lucy smiled. “That’s my favorite song, too. I remember the video,” she mused.

She rose up from her chair and gestured towards the door.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Curtis. You are right, I don’t want a divorce,” Lucy opened the door quickly.

Mr. Curtis smiled, and said, “ I thought not. Have a great day,” Lucy closed the door and just remembered that she wanted to thank him profusely for his hindsight and his good advice.

She rushed out the door looking for him, glancing on the left and right of the street, but she could not catch sight of the diminutive Mr. Curtis.

Perhaps she can call the law office and get his cell number, she thought.

She dialed the number to the law office and reached a legal secretary.

“Hi, this is Lucy Chow. Mr Curtis was just here and I wish to get his cell number to thank him, I am staying in my marriage. I am staying in my marriage!” she said quickly, all excited.

The secretary said, sounding surprised, “ Who did you say you saw?”

“Mr. Curtis,” Lucy said, her voice rising with happiness. “This lawyer you sent was just the best. He told me to keep my marriage in tack and our love is as rare as the scarlet macaw. You people are the best.”

The secretary was silent for a few moments. Then quietly said, “Lucy, we don’t have a "Mr. Curtis" working for us. Cole Hunter had to leave town for a family emergency. He won’t be back for a few weeks and he never sent a replacement. He should be back next month. Shall I have him call you?”

Lucy said nothing and hung up the phone in disbelief. She sat in stunned silence and remembered the macaw.

She took the scarlet macaw figurine firmly in her hands and said to herself, beaming widely, "Mother Mary, you heard me after all."