Animal Activities #18

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@xkool24 Just know that, I am an admirer of this contest you organize. I am a lover of animals especially dog though I hate mosquito but I will be making my entry base on a life story concerning another beautiful creature called parrot though we nickname ours has Binto.

A story I Feared To Talk About In Years Until Today

This story has become a memory to me and really don't hold impact on me anymore to keep it a secret but then, it was a tensed story to talked about due to the havoc it holds to convey. This happened when I was 13 years old in my village. My father, Dr Archibong Isuo who owned a parrot has one of his favorite pet.

Just to be brief, there are secrets that stay undisclosed for years, until a sharp-eyed or sharp-beaked little witness brings them into the open. This is a true-to-life story of how my father beloved parrot became the accidental whistleblower that nearly scattered our family.

In my father's house in Uyo my village precisely, there were three things you never argued with, which are: my father's cane, my mother’s silence and Binto the parrot.

Binto like other birds wasn't just like them has Binto was loud, nosey and had lived in our family for nearly 12 years. Words from my siblings to me has it that my father bought Binto from a roadside trader in Sapele when I was in Primary 3. Since then, Bobo had become a certified member of the household, with his own cage, fan and even a name on our NEPA bill (don’t ask me how).

The thing is, Binto could talk which was a surprised ability to me then to see a creature talk.

Not just ordinary "hello" or "I dey o!" kind of talk. No. Binto listened, memorized and repeated things word for word. Initially, nobody really care this to be a security risk. I mean, it was fun though.

Well, among ourselves, Nigeria pidgin is a great choice of language to used for communication and Binto was good in memorizing this words and repeating them which was crazy and fun. Below are few Nigeria pidgin I and my siblings love using to entice Binto into talking back. 👇

“Oboy! Come wash plate!”
“Na who born dis pikin?” translate: who born this child.

“E pain me well well!” translate: To mean, intense pains

He repeated everything, especially when people fought or gossiped. He was like a feathery CCTV with a loudspeaker.

Fast forward to 29 June 2019, Binto talking ability has cause havoc that changed our lives forever.
It started one rainy Saturday. My father was out and my mother was cleaning the sitting room while I was sitting playing with my toy game. Of a sudden Binto suddenly chirped:

“Funmi, close the curtain before my wife comes!"

I froze, my mother froze. We both all froze.
My mother turned slowly. “What did you say?” responding to Binto as if she was talking to a real human

Binto been an animal do what Binto knows how to do best and flapped his wings and repeat. “Funmi, quick-quick. My wife dey come back!” which translate: be fast, my wife is coming back.

That was the beginning of the nightmare which was about to befall us.
Over the next few weeks, Binto added new lines:

“Don’t call me now, I’m with the kids.”
“Send me kiss jare, naughty girl.”
“No CD today, just trust me.”
And what you should know about my father is He often took calls near Binto cage. The bird had soaked up months of phone call conversations and now repeated them like episodes of a soap opera.

One evening, as we were eating, Binto screamed:

“Funmi, I miss your waist!”

My mother curiosity has not stop right from the first day of Binto saying words out of this realm
And this one statement only added to that curiosity which cause

My father stuttered. He blamed Binto. Said it was from a Nollywood movie.
But Binto wasn’t done. He added moaning sounds, imitated Daddy’s giggle.
I don't know for sure if those giggle were my dad and if truly Binto has been feeding herself of some Nollywood movies.

Everything scattered. Aunties came. Uncles gathered. My mother packed her bags.

Eventually, my dad and mum reconciled after several family meetings and church intervention

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but not before Daddy built a special cage for Binto deep inside the house and started taking calls far from Binto.

Till today, Binto is still alive though much older, still very louder and verbally dangerous. We now warn visitors:

“Be careful what you say near that bird. He stores things like memory card.”

And as for Daddy, I will just say he must have been innocent or guilty but who knows because Nollywood movies contain lots of adulterated languages Binto could learn from.
Above all, I am happy this was settled, cause I was already shattered seeing this two soul parting path I was following.

Lesson learn:
1 Never set your parrot cage near tv set or any other form of communication set. Binto cage was in the sitting room where a flat screen plasma display all form of movies we watch.

Disclaimer: This life story is not to be used to blame the parrot on how this story is told and kindly don't out of this narrative view parrots in general has negative creature. They are beautiful and fun. Of course, we never sell our beautiful Binto off. But rather adjust to how we talk around Binto.

I invite on @ruthjoe @ngoenyi
@impersonal to participate in the contest.