A Partridge In A Box

Tonya is lying on her couch; snuggle up in her favorite blanket, and watching one of her favorite holiday movies. In her one bedroom apartment its smells like Christmas time all through the small, but cozy apartment. The scent of her seasonal candle, “Hint of Christmas” burning the holly jolly in the room as her little Christmas tree stands illuminating by the window of the fire escape.

Lying on the couch with the sound of “Roman Holiday” and the crunching sound of popcorn to mouth, Tonya’s night is all set. A large knock on the door takes her out of her moment. Tonya pause the movie and goes to see who it could be at this time of the night. She notices the clock on the microwave showing 7:30pm,

“Not that late, but still who would be knocking at my door?”

She looks through her newly fixed peephole and see’s no one is there.

 “Maybe they had the wrong apartment?” she thought to herself.

Tonya turns to get back to her routine.

“Chirp”

Tonya turns back around at the faint sound.

“Squeak” the sound again.

 “Is there a bird in the building?” she wonders.

The sound becomes more and more frequent; finally she decides to open the door to see where the sound is coming from.  Tonya opens up the door slowly and looks around, but all is quiet and empty down the hallway.

“Chrip”

Down at her feet is an old brown box with a lid, the lid has a lot of holes on top of it and a little white note is taped to the side of it. Tonya looks down very suspiciously at this package left at her door. Against her better judgment she decides to check out the note.

She reads the note; she needs a good home.

Tonya looks around again and picks up the box. She can hear the ruffles of feathers inside the box and the sound of feet hitting the bottom of the cardboard box. Finally the mystery item starts making more and more noise. Tonya comes back in and places the box on the table. She steps away and just looks at this.

“Why would someone leave this here?” Tonya wonders to herself.

“And why did I bring a strange box in?”

“Alright Tonya you’re here now. Might as well see what’s in the box.”

Tonya opens up the lid to reveal a small plump bird with light brown color feathers with a long black line that comes from the front of the bird’s face all the way down to its chest where is connects together. Its wings have black and almost white strips, along with its orange beak and dark eyes looking up at Tonya’s hazel eyes.  

Tonya goes to her laptop and looks up what type of bird is in the box. Not really much of a naturist, Tonya knowledge of fowl comes from the pigeons she encounters on the way to the subway and the chicken from the grocery store. After a few minutes of Google search she learns of what type of bird she now has in her possession.

“A partridge, what am I suppose to do with a partridge?”

Quinn is on his laptop, while music is playing, and playing the latest PC game. He has a bag of chips and a bottle of drink on each side of him. He hears a knock on his door barely and pause everything to go to the door. He looks through the peephole and opens it up to see Tonya standing there with a box.

“I see they finally all voted you out of your apartment huh?”

“Funny.” Tonya responses back.

Tonya walks past Quinn with the box still in hand and goes to his kitchen.

So this is what was left at my door tonight.

“Did you get confuse when you ordered dinner tonight?” Quinn quips back.

Tonya and Quinn have known each other since high school and a little further than that, though their friendship didn’t really develop until high school. They went to the same college and even winded up at the same job. A lot of times people confuse them for a couple till they get to know them, then they see that are move like siblings than anything else.

Very funny, what am I suppose to do with this bird?

Well, we can grill it, filet it, bake…

Tonya looks at him in disgust at even the notion of it.

“I’m kidding, sorta.” Quinn tells her as he walks over to the box.

“Be careful.” Tonya tells him as he goes to uncover the box.

It might fly out or something.

Relax Tonya Partridge’s can’t fly. At least not that well.

And how do you know?

It’s called reading. I do it occasionally.

Well he is a cute bird.

She…she is a cute bird. The note left said take good care of her.

The bird begins to chirp and make noises again as Quinn continues to examine the fowl.

“I think she’s hungry.” Quinn says to Tonya.

“What do I feed it?” she asks back.

A little bit of tequila always help with me. He hands her the box back.

Listen I know you’ll figure it out. Besides we have work tomorrow. So I need to rest. And now you’re a mommy, you need to take your child home.

Really, Quinn?

Hey this isn’t a fit place for any type of child.

“That is true.” Says Tonya as she makes her way out the door.

“Besides, everything is for a reason, right?” Quinn says to Tonya at the door.

I guess so.

Who knows maybe you both need each other?

Tonya comes back home and sets the box back on the kitchen table with the bird still chirping inside.

“Maybe it’ll get quiet.” Tonya thought to herself.

The Partridge continues on until Tonya goes over to the box.

“Listen I’m sorry ok? I’m not really a caregiver type and I’m surely not a parent type either. I have nothing to feed you with. So I would suggest flapping those wings and finding a better place to stay.” Tonya tells the little bird.

Tonya hears a fly buzzing the house. It flies into the box and then the bird becomes quiet.

“Gross.” Tonya thinks to herself.

Well at least that seemed to help. Thank God for little miracles.

Tonya heads off to bed and is finally comfortable in her bed when the bird begins making noises again. After what seems like hours, but only minutes. Tonya gets up and grabs the box and brings it into her bedroom. The bird then gets quite and peace is back in the apartment.

“I take it you’re happier now?” Tonya asks the Partridge.

Tonya is lying in her bed restless for some reason. The light of the moon shines into her usually dark room and falls on the box with the bird in it. Tonya continues to lie in her bed not knowing why she can’t get to sleep. Finally after wrestling with herself she decides to look in on her new roommate. The partridge is sitting snuggled up in her box and she looks up at Tonya. Her eyes dark like the room currently is, yet as Tonya looks into them it’s almost as if they are speaking to her. Maybe in some crazy way they are.

“I guess I should name you?” she tells the bird.

How about Beatrice?

The partridge looks at her with no response.

Yea that’s an old name. It’s was my grandma’s. How about Lily?

The Partridge makes a noise of agreement.

Lily it is.

Tonya lays back in the bed for a bit, surprise by how well that made her feel. It makes her think of her own childhood, something she hasn’t thought of in a very long time.

You know Lily, me and you have a similar start in this life. I was giving away too. My mom I guess she couldn’t handle raising me. So she gave me away. My adopted mom, she told me how I was left at her door steps around Christmas time. All that was with me was a note and some old clothes. My mom would tell me every Christmas how that was the best gift she had ever received. She told me how I gave her life a new purpose that she never thought she needed.

Tonya looks back over to the box.

I miss her Lily…I miss her every day. After she died, I just cut off everyone. It wasn’t their fault, but I just couldn’t deal with it. I moved out here and was determine to move forward and never look back.

Tonya looks back up at the white color ceiling of her bedroom and for a moment she is transported back to her old home. Her mom is singing to her while she is lying in bed. Slowly her eyes get heavier and heavier till final she is off to sleep. It had been almost five years since Tonya had heard her mother’s song. Now it seem liked it had never went away.

The sun is slowly rising up to show itself to the city, Tonya is laying peacefully in her bed when she hears the light chirping of Lily in her bed. She wakes up to see Lily snuggled up on her pillow with her.

“Good morning Lily. Looks like we both slept well.” Tonya tells her.

Tonya gets ready and goes to head out the door, but stops and looks back in her room.

Outside the streets are getting crowded with people getting started with their day of commuting to their jobs and what not.

Tonya sneakers hit the concert of the sidewalk lightly as her jacket

sways in the wind, with jeans and t shirt. Tonya has her writer wardrobe down to a T, but today she has a companion in Lily with her. She stops by the local pet store and trades out Lily’s box for a proper home and some supplies for her.

Once done there she stops for breakfast and heads to her job. Normally quiet and to herself, when she comes in; Tonya stops and talks to her coworkers and seems to have a new purpose to her walk. The sight of a cage with a partridge in it doesn’t pass anyone’s attention. Tonya gets settled in her office when Quinn walks in.

“What’s this?” Quinn asks her.

“Well I decided to bring Lily to work. I figured it wouldn’t be right to leave her at the house alone.” Tonya tells Quinn.

No I mean the article. You doing fluff pieces, I thought that wasn’t your style?

Well it’s Christmas time. So I figured why not.

Yea, well as your editor, I’m suggesting you try it more often. This piece about you and Lily is amazing.

And as your friend, I’m glad to see you talk about your mom again.

“Yea, me too.” Tonya tells Quinn.

Quinn goes to leave back out and Tonya stops him.

Hey Quinn.

Yea.

I’m going to need to leave early today. I’m going to go home and visit the family.

Quinn stops and smiles at her.

Good to hear Tonya. What about Lily?

Tonya looks over at the cage and Lily sitting there nestled in. Lily gives a chirp to her.

Well she’s family. So family goes together.

“Merry Christmas, Tonya.” Quinn tells her as he leaves out.

“Merry Christmas.

Tonya goes back to writing and she looks back at Lily once more. Right then a song comes to her mind and she begins to hum it. Lily chimes in with some chirps of her own.

Tonya begins typing out the title of her next article.

“The Christmas Journey”