Oh but the guilt… a short funny story.

An incident happened today that made me think of a funny phone call I had with a friend a few years ago. I was on the phone with my friend Jeannie having a conversation. She asked me “So what are you doing?” I told her I was eating my lunch. The conversation went on and then she stopped and asked me “Where are you?” I told her I was sitting in my car. She asked if I was out running errands. I told her “No, I’m in the garage.” Silence. I could feel an explanation coming on. “So you’re sitting in your car, parked in your garage eating your lunch?” I started laughing with my mouth full because I knew she was going to laugh at me when she found out why. “Why are you sitting in your car in the garage eating your lunch?” she asked me. “Because!” I said feeling guilty for what I was getting ready to explain. ” I just finished my errands and stopped by a drive through and picked up a sandwich. I just pulled in the garage and I’m sitting here eating it in my car so I can have it all to myself. Once I step foot in that house Murray (my macaw) is going to start ‘Oooo’ing and then all of the birds are going to want some. I wouldn’t mind enjoying my lunch all to myself!” I started laughing while I was making my plea in my defense. On the other end of the line I heard laughter. “Be quite and let me eat my sandwich.” I said as we were both cracking up laughing. My friend did have to mention how selfish I was before we hung up.

So fast forward to today. I was sitting here working on my computer this afternoon. I started getting a twinge of hunger pains. Immediately I thought of making my favorite rice dish as a quickie appetizer. I made it and in between my first and second bite I heard an “Ooooo” coming from behind me. The “Oooo” was one of those as in “Oooo that looks so yummy.” I stopped mid-air with spoon almost in mouth. I felt something staring so intently that it began burning a hole in my back. I glanced over my shoulder and there sat my macaw with clear shot of my afternoon behavior. My mouth was still open with the spoon almost hitting it. Out came another “Oooo”. “Man!” I thought. “I almost had it. I almost had my snack to myself.” I found myself feeling as though I was a kid getting busted with my hand in the cookie jar. “I could just take a few steps to the left and be out of his site”, I found myself thinking. “Come here.” Murray belted out. “OK fine!” I said back to him as I began preparing him a dish in addition to the food he already had hanging at his play station.

I swear I about tripped over my bottom lip from pouting so hard as I walked out ‘my’ snack to

Murray. I turned around and there stood Rocky, my Moluccan Cockatoo, on his play station. “Hi” he said. “Ugh” I said as I threw up my arm as I surrendered. I rolled my eyes and prepared another dish. “There goes half of my snack!” I sputtered under my breath. I then went in the living room and sat in the corner and finished my snack before the other two birds had the opportunity to see what I was doing. “What?”