Shorts

Georgie

The barking was the loudest sound echoing down the somber grey shelter halls.
"Look at how pretty that bird is!" Tara said to her partner with a gasp.
"We should get him," Raven responded.
"We do need another bird in the house!"Tara punned, earning a less than displeased look from Raven.
With a push and maybe a punch, they went in, to meet the bird.
"George is a beautiful, 14 year old, African grey parrot. He's very affectionate and loves to play with hair, just to warn you." The employee said, eyeing Tara's long hair as he opened the cage to let George out.
He flew out and circled above the girls a few times, before perching himself on the employee's shoulder. Tara slowly reached out to George, gently caressing his chest.
"Does he talk?"
"Well, his species is actually very prone to talking, but he's not to much of a chatter box. What we have heard from him was a little mix of languages. I assume he's watched a bit of TV." He said with a smile.
"He's so well behaved, why was he given up?" Raven asked, glancing at the employee's name tag.
It read "TANNER" in bold letters, beneath it "Bird Specialist" and below that "4 years".
"He wasn't so much given up, but taken. His previous owner was, unfortunately, in a fatal car accident."
"That's terrible," Tara said watching the bird closely.
"You said he's six years old," Raven interjected, wanting to move away from such a somber topic.
"Do African Parrots have long life spans?"
"Oh yeah. They can live to be around 80 years old in the wild, and about 50 when born in captivity." Tanner put his arm out for George to walk on.
George tentatively stepped forward, stopping just above Tanner's wrist.
"So you'll be around for quite a while, eh." Tara said with a smile.
"You're not getting rid of me that easy, baby." George squawked, startling the trio.
"C'mon, I'll help you two fill out the paper work." Tanner said with a laugh. 
• • •
Tara stumbled through the door to their small house, carrying a large bag of bird food.
"I still don't know how he talked us into buying all this stuff." She grumbled, dropping it by the door.
"I think you talked yourself into most of this stuff." Raven called from the living room, where she was setting up George's cage.
Tara walked in to see George perched at the back of the couch, supervising Raven's work. She plopped down at the opposite end, going to work, opening all the bird toys and accessories. She caught George's attention as she was opening a bell, and he ran down the couch, to inspect the bell beside her. She rang it in front of him a few times, making George put up a claw to ring it himself.
"He's so frickin' cute, I'll cry." Raven said as she stood, having finished the cage.
"What do you think?" She gestured to the cage.
"I think its time to decorate!" Tara yelled, earning some hype from Raven and George.
• • •
"Its time for bed George." Tara cooed, putting him into his cage and shutting the door softly.
"Goodnight, George." Raven said softly with a wave.
"Goodnight!" George yelled in response.
The girls laughed as they made their way's to their respective rooms, biding each other a good night.
• • •
Talking. Raven heard talking. Who the hell is up? She thought. I could have sworn it was just me and Tara this weekend. Its probably just George getting some of his chatter out. She swung her feet off the bed, lightly landing on the floor. She padded her way to the kitchen, on a mission for some water. She grabbed a glass and took it to the freezer to grab some ice, absently listening to George go on.
"You know, no one really talks to me anymore. No one but you Georgie." Hearing George refer to himself made Raven stop in her tracks.
"You're my only friend George, and I love you so much." She slowly crept towards the door separating the living room and the kitchen.
"I don't know what to do anymore George. I've got nothing here. No friends, no family, and now, no job. Maybe I'd be better off dead." Raven had never experienced true heartbreak until that very moment, as her bird repeated what could have been the previous owner's last words to him.
"Bye Georgie. I'll see ya later."