𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕀𝔼𝕊 𝔽ℝ𝕆𝕄 𝔸 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝔻 ～ 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘤𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘺

56 - [JM] Psittacine

P S I T T A C I N E
adjective [sit-uh-sahyn, -sin]

Of or relating to parrots.

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"Come on boy, go get the ball!" You bent over on your knees and pointed ahead. Your dog looked at you with his head tilted and you sighed. You looked to the ground hopelessly then stood up.

You walked over to where the ball was placed by a tree, the grass poking your feet through the sandles you were wearing. You picked up the red ball and rolled it over to the side, and your dog chased after it.

You smiled as you watched him, shaking your head slightly. He was still almost considered a puppy and he didn't really understand the concept of fetch yet.

You walked over to him and-

You widened your eyes as you witnessed him run up to a man standing by a bench and start barking at him aggressively. You ran towards him to get a hold of his leash but your dog was fighting you off as best as he could.

The man looked around, startled, and started moving away as you continued to apology for your pet's nasty behaviour. You then noticed that he had a parrot on his shoulder and realised that the bird must be the reason your dog is stirred up.

You dragged your dog away as the man walked ahead and gradually, your dog calmed himself down.

You glanced around, at the people who were eyeing you with judgement. You felt extremely embarrassed and brought your dog to an empty spot under a tree to hide from the scene that had just occurred.

*****

You rested your head back against the tree trunk, sitting with your knees pulled to your chest. One of your hands was placed on top of your dog's back as he lay beside you, fast asleep.

You wanted to sleep as well. Work hasn't been giving you a decent rest and it doesn't plan to any time soon either. Being out with your dog, walking and playing with him is the only time in the day when you're free and relaxed, and you enjoy every single moment of-

"Excuse me? Hi," You heard a man call out to you as he walked towards your place. You looked up and noticed that it was the same person that your dog was barking at, the man with the bird.

You smiled at him slightly, curious as to why he had approached you.

"I'm sorry, I hope I'm not bothering you," He said in a rather hushed tone and you realised that he probably didn't want to wake your dog from his sleep. He still had his pet bird on his shoulder...

"No not at all," You responded and he smiled, "Did you need something?" You started to get up so that you can talk to him at eye-level but he gestured for you to remain seated.

"Oh nothing important, I just... Your dog is really nice. What breed?" He asked and you glanced at him.

"Oh he's a [dog breed], his name is [y/d/n]," You said happily and he smiled widely. You noticed that the man continued on staring at your dog and you started to grow suspicious. Lucky for him, he noticed your discomfort.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be weird and all. It's just that someone who was really close to me had a dog that looked exactly the same..." He said, rather sadly and you frowned, "The dog's name was Cinnamon."

"Who was it, if you don't mind me asking..." You asked with hesitance and he looked straight into your eyes.

"My fiance."

"Engagement broke off?" You raised your eyebrows.

"No um, she died in a car accident, and Cinnamon did as well," He said without any emotion, feeling numb from the sorrow, and you gulped. You felt extremely uncomfortable and guilty all of a sudden.

"I'm so sorry, that's terrible," You looked at him with pity and he lowered himself to sit down opposite you on the grass. You didn't stop him from doing so.

"It happened three years ago but, Jacque over here helped me get through it," He looked over to his shoulder at the green parrot who was darting his head all around, "I finally had someone to talk to... and fill the silence."

"So... What do you do at this park?" You asked, changing the subject to avoid feeling sorrowful.

"Well, I come here for a walk with my pet, as dog owners do. Jacque likes the outdoors and he enjoys the walk, even though I'm the one doing it and he sits most of the time," He chuckled and you smiled.

"You know... [y/d/n] came into my life when I was at my lowest of lows. He made everything feel worthy again, that I was worth living and that the world would lack without me in it," You explained, feeling a connection with this man all of a sudden, "At least that's what I taught."

You looked to your hands and started fidgeting with them as flashes from your past played in your mind.

"Isn't amazing how you expect people around  you to make you feel better but these animals do it instead?" He expressed and you smiled. You agreed with that immensely.

"What's your name?" You asked, "We've been talking and I don't know what your name is. Mine's [y/n]." You put out your hand and he shook it.

"James," He replied cheerfully.

"By the way, James, I'm sorry about earlier. I have no idea what happened to [y/d/n], he's never like that around other animals," You said, embarrassed, and he smiled.

"At least we had a chance to meet each other, thanks to our pets' differences," He said and you chuckled.

He started to get up and you frowned. "Well, I should be going. I don't think Jacque or [y/d/n] would be too happy if they met once more," He watched the sleeping dog next to you.

"Alright..." You mumbled sadly. You enjoyed his company, you didn't want him to leave just yet.

He stood up striaght and fixed his jacket, and you got up as well. "It was nice meeting you [y/n]," He said, "I'll see you around then?"

"Sure, yeah," You made an effort to smile through your disappointment. He walked away and waved back at you, a gesture you returned to him.

You glanced at your dog, who was still sleeping, now curled into a ball, and you took a seat next to him.

You wondered if you'd actually ever see James again... and you did, every week at the park from then on, till you made plans to meet elsewhere for a change.