Charlie

In my travels I have come across many unusual things and individuals with stories of their own that I rarely can comprehend how someone can survive such paroles. One of which comes from someone very close to me; Charlie. Of course Charlie is not his real name, for names are changed to protect the innocent as they say. If I were to name this individual, Charlie would be a name that would suite him just fine.

When I was first introduced to him, fifteen years ago, he was already older than most people that I knew. He stood two feet tall and had a wing span of the length of my arms spread out. As you may have guessed that I am speaking of a bird but no ordinary bird. A macaw with all its radiant beauty and colorful plumage; the red, blue and green. I was awe struck by him, at first. His size I must admit was a bit intimidating, especially when he walked about freely as he pleased. I could not take my eyes off of him, for hours just watching him move about his daily routine.

Unfortunately I must report that he was someone's pet instead of being as free and wild as he should be. It was just as upsetting to me to find out why he could not be which brought me to understand why now. As I listened to his owner explain how they came about having to rescue him tugged at my heart more than you can know. I watched him as they told the story, every word Charlie seem to respond to as if he was telling it. When at the end of the tale, Charlie had even turned his back to us. He no longer paid us any mind and went to sleep. This magnificent creature depending on us humans to survive was sad to me.

Up till now the only macaws that I had ever seen were in the pages of a National Geographic or in trees along the walking paths of Disney World. Now I am observing one in someone's one bedroom apartment in the middle of winter, in one of the nation's coldest cities, housed in a floor to ceiling cage and this was considered rescued. In saying this, let me remind you I did later come to understand why.

After a few more visits, it became cleared to me, Charlie was more than just a pet to his owner; he was one of the family. He was in fact, the only friend and partner to what I understood now is his caretaker than his owner. The cage was more for his solitude from everyone else that came to visit and when he had enough of you, he would let you know. As I said before when I first encountered Charlie, he was walking about the place as if it were his. He would climb up on a chair and greet you with a caw followed by a head nod. If you did not return his greeting or acknowledge his presence, just like any human he would be offended and cawed until you did.

Charlie had grown fawn of his caretaker's elderly father who would joke and play with him. The father would raise his arms in the air and Charlie would do the same with his wings. The father would caw and he would repeat it. Often I would notice the father say something in Italian to him and he nod in response. When the father would walk away, Charlie seemed to mumble something to himself as if giving him a piece of his mind. I've seen somethings similar when a parent and child would interact and I would assume their relationship was similar to that.

Overtime Charlie and his caretaker were inseparable, they were so close the caretaker took Charlie outside on their shoulder. Together, they would meet and take pictures with passerby's in front their residence, along parade routes and once even during a church festival. They were celebrities in their own right. I could not help but smile at the joy that they provided others and how they reacted to the attention in return.

A few years ago I learned of Charlie's caretaker's father passing and went to see how they were getting along. It was somber to say the least because in a way they both lost a parent. I knew how his caretaker felt but I could never imagine that Charlie would feel that same lose. It was confirmed when a picture of the father was brought out and once Charlie got a glimpse of it, he raised his wings and cawed. If I did not see it with my own two eyes their connection I would never believed it.

A macaw is an amazing creature and Charlie is proof of that.