Cozy Beach Adventures

-6-

I gaze out into the sky, waiting for Wilbur's plane to land. I've been standing at the dock for half an hour. I wanted to see if he would get here early, but he didn't. I check the time on my communicator, and it reads 6:55. I hope he doesn't show up late.

A few minutes later, I finally see a blue seaplane coming towards the dock. I don't see Wilbur inside it until he is close to landing. He's looking good as usual, with his Dodo Airlines outfit and sunglasses. I watch him land in the water and park the plane at the dock. It takes him a few seconds to get out, but when he does, he notices me standing by him and his whole face lights up.

"Hi Gully!" he exclaims. "Oh baby, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too." I walk toward him with open wings and we throw ourselves into a hug. I can feel Wilbur gently stroking the back of my head. It happens to be right where the bump is, but I barely notice. I am so happy to see him again.

When I step back to face him, he stares at me and a look of concern appears on his face.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay? What happened?"

"Well, I got thrown overboard and hit my head on the side of the ship. I'm fine now, though." I realize that I probably look terrible. I'm sure Bailey was just being nice when I asked her.

"Oh no, my poor baby. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I don't want you to worry about me."

"Well, you know I still do, baby. Does your head still hurt?"

"Yeah, a little." It is less painful than it was when I met Bailey. "It's okay, Mia took good care of me this morning."

"I'm glad she did." he replies. "How about we go inside and snuggle in my bed?"

"Of course, Wilbur. I would love that."

We head inside the airport together, him dragging his suitcase with one wing and holding his other wing in mine. Orville is still typing at his computer behind the desk. He looks up when we approach him.

"Hello, Wilbur. Oh, you guys are so sweet!" he gushes. "I hope you two lovebirds have an amazing night together."

"Thanks, Orville." Wilbur replies. "You know, you don't need to be all gushy every time you see us. It's a little unnecessary."

"I know, but I can't help it. Well, you can go now. I'll be here if you need me for anything."

"All right, thank you. Bye!" Wilbur says. We both wave goodbye to Orville, and he turns back to his computer. We walk through the back door and head down the hall to Wilbur's bedroom.

"I'm sorry about the mess." he tells me as we enter the room. "I didn't know you were coming today. I can get a fresh pillow and blanket for you if you want."

"That would be great. Thank you."

He goes into his closet to put his suitcase away and get the bedding, and I take a look around the room. It looks the same as usual, with his bed, nightstand, dresser, and TV. The bed is unmade and there are various items of clothing lying around the floor. He must not have cleaned up before he left for his vacation.

I walk over to close the door, and when I do, I notice the mirror on the back of the door. I take a look at myself. Oh boy. I look like I have been hit by a truck. My eyes are all puffy and there are dark circles under them. Bailey was definitely right about that. My feathers are rumpled at the top of my head and there is a little bit of sand in them. I try to look at the bump on the back of my head, but I can't see it very well. I do notice that my head is all bruised. I am a little embarrassed that Wilbur has to see me like this.