Birds chirp eagerly as an old man with bifocals enjoys the angelic sound. The man, Arthur, sits on a park bench holding a worn out pair of binoculars trying to enjoy the birds singing. He stares through both of the holes and spots a bluejay resting on a branch. A slight smile appears on his face as he reminisces of all the birds he saw with such great company. The chirping birds start flying away as the sun begins to fall. He knew the home would start to worry if he was out too long in the park. Standing up, Arthur grabbed his binoculars and headed down the road towards Oak Retreat.
“How was your walk today, Mr. Jones? Are you feeling any better”, asked a man in blue scrubs. Arthur hated when they asked this everyday. Always wondering everyday if he was better.
“Yeah, I am feeling better. A lot of blue jays out today”, he said lightly. Anything else the nurse said was either ignored or not heard. Room 221. A room small enough for only two people, but in a month he would have to move to the single dorms.
Unlocking the door he was greeted with silence. A silence he still wasn’t used to. Photos of a beautiful young couple hung in on the dull walls. Ones of the couple in national parks across the country, and several images of a elegant but clumsy woman. The photos hung there heavily as a memory of what once was.
Arthur sat on the edge of his bed and put the binoculars down on his mantle. He stared at the other side of the bed that was now empty. Tears streamed down his face like rain against a glass window. After staring into an abyss of nothingness for what seem like hours, he got his pajamas on and laid underneath the sheets that now felt cold. Slowly and slowly he fell into dream.
Birds began to chirp quietly in bright, colorful trees. Arthur grabbed his binoculars and looked through them, only to see a new type of wonderment. A women with gray hair, a long, blue cardigan and a camera walked up the path to the park. She sat down next to him, and tears of joy began to drop rapidly.
“A lot of blue jays out today, Margaret. I brought your binoculars just for you”, Arthur finally got out through the sobs. She smiled at him and grabbed the binoculars to see all the birds.
“You say that everyday and you know damn well those are robins. You know you’re colorblind!” They both laugh and the tears began to dry up.
“You know bird watching isn’t the same without you, dear. The birds don’t come as much, and the nurses never let me stay out as much anymore to enjoy the day.”
“Give the birds food, and they’ll come. As for the nurse, I can’t help you there. That one with the man bun is so snoopy. But… I know it’s different. The only way I’m even alive is when you sleep, but we’ll see eachother soon, my love”, Margaret said with a silver lining dancing on her tongue.
“Now come on let’s do what those wacky hipster do and take a selfie. It doesn’t have to be on a phone right? We never got those damn glass bars kids always have in their pockets.”
Margaret lifted the camera up and pointed it at her and Arthur. Flash. A bright light and then black. Arthur laid in his bed staring at the other side. Birds chirp just outside his window, and some glimmer of hope made him think it was from her.
“A lot of bluejays out there, Margaret. Whole lot of blue jays out there”, said Arthur as he slowly gazed into nothing wishing to rejoin his wife and see all the birds they wanted.