Yesterday must have been Urban Jungle day or something because, after Tearfree’s house was attacked by ants in the morning, the strangest thing happened to her on the way home in the evening.
As she was walking through the park, she saw a couple sitting on the grass with a Budgie–type bird. And then, all of a sudden, the bird flew away and landed on the shirtless shoulder of the young man walking just ahead of Tearfree. He asked the couple if the bird was theirs, they said no, and he just kept on walking with the bird perched on his naked shoulder.
Strolling along behind him, Tearfree marveled at how calmly he had handled the situation. Had the bird landed on Tearfree’s shoulder, she would have run around in circles screaming about Hitchcock’s The Birds and maybe even passed out from shock.
Some 50 metres later, the bird suddenly flew off, checked out some passing cyclists as perching possibilities, and then returned to the knapsack of the young man it had just left. At this point, Tearfree struck up a conversation with the guy, asking him how he felt about having a strange bird land on his shoulder -- twice.
He was French from France and took it all with Gallic nonchalance but said he couldn’t commit to keeping the bird because he felt it would be wrong to cage it. Trying to be helpful, Tearfree mentioned that her rather eccentric accountant, who keeps 20 birds in a room of their own, lived five minutes away so maybe we could just drop it off there. Tearfree then took out her cellphone and called the accountant but alas she was not there.
The young man seemed let down that fate, which had seemed so kind, mere seconds ago, as the call was being placed, had suddenly turned against him, but what can you do? Tearfree had to go make supper so she bid the guy and his (new) bird farewell, and suggested he try to drop it off at a pet shop.
Now, what would Tearfree's readers have done?
7 comments:
This is almost a magical encounter that could be part of a work of fiction. Or the beginning of a love story. If this was Hollywood, you'd be wearing your cutest shoes (not the Rockports)and would run into the young Frenchman at the patisserie today buying baguette, where sparks would officially fly, and you would soon find yourself caught up in a torrid affair that thrilled yet confused you because you were in all other ways committed and devoted to your husband and children. Sort of an Unfaithful type of thing. Somehow the bird would have to play some part of a role in the ultimate heartwrenching breakup.
Bird of Paradise, the film/book/short story could be called.
Yeah I can see it.
Magiacal realism meets whatever that French filmmaking movement of the fifties was called.
Who should play me?
Juliette Binoche, Audrey Tautou???
And what about the young French guy?
I'm thinking Eric Bana.
James Blunt!
I think you should remain a Canadian, not a Frenchwoman, and I am guessing you are a brunette, so I would suggest my favourite brunette actress -- Parker Posey. If you want hotter, how about Eva Mendes?
The guy is tougher. He needs to be some hot young undiscovered French actor.
Sara,
James Blunt is not happening. You don't get a former member of the Queen's Military Guard to play a Frenchman for Gawd's sake. Please be a little more realistic.
Kimberly,
I see your point, but I'm not keen on either Parker Posey or Eva Mendes. While I'm a brunette, I'm open to a blonde. How about Jodie Foster or Catherine Zeta Jones.
And don't be so quick to dismiss Eric Bana. If he can do such a great Israeli accent, I'm sure he could do French.
Although, all you starving young French male actors, feel free to send in your head shots.
Pick one of these guys. Let's turn a French soccer player into an actor. The guy on the far left looks pretty fetching.
http://www.abc.net.au/soccer/euro/2004/galleries/dayttwo/images/09_engfra.jpg
Yeah, he definitely has that mediterranean appeal and soccer players are the hottest athletes around, but we need more than just a bunch of Becks wannabes for this role.
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