Being a young newlywed comes with a lot of wonderful perks. You have your entire life ahead of you for adventures with your spouse. Every new day brings with it new experiences as you learn about one another and the ways in which you can share joy and happiness with your better half. With your youth comes energy, vitality and motivation, all of which can be applied to your time together in a multitude of ways. You can experience the world together, from going on a walk in a beautiful park to touring an ancient city halfway around the globe. You can motivate one another in your individual pursuits, be those arts, crafts, hobbies or skills. And, of course, you have bountiful opportunities to explore each other in the marriage bed, sharing your love for one another in a passionate, enthralling manner. Truly, a life with a person you love so dearly that you dedicate yourself to them in perpetuity is a blessed and fulfilling life. These thoughts run through my head as I straighten up, my back cracking in several places like an assaulted sheet of bubble wrap. I jam the gardening spade into the now-thoroughly troweled earth and wipe sweat from my brow with my forearm, careful not to streak my dirt-caked gloves across my face. I rock back on my knees, plant my butt on my feet and let out a sigh. What did I do to deserve this fate, toiling and sweating so early on a Saturday? A familiar voice calls to me from several yards away. “You’d better not be taking a break already, Anon! We have a lot more weeding to do!” My beautiful wife, Lucy, has become a cruel taskmaster. I glance in her direction, noting that she hasn’t even broken a sweat as she happily tugs the roots of another weed from the flower bed on the opposite side of the front door. I’d accuse her of not working as hard as I am, but the pile of pulled weeds on the grass behind her is roughly the same size as the one behind me. Dinosaurs are cheaters in life. I lean forward once more, grasp another invasive plant by its core and give it a swift tug to unearth it. “So… you decided that today, one of the first free days the two of us have had since we tied the knot, would be best spent breaking our backs in the dirt?” She leans up and smiles in my direction. “It’s only gonna get colder, Anon, and if we want to have a half-decent yard come spring we need to get these weeds out and get flowers planted!” I groan. “Yeah, but… like, couldn’t we just… not?" She puts her hands on her hips and gives me a stern look. “Quit your complaining, dweeb. Why not apply some of the skills you picked up in our gardening club detention?” I lean slightly to my left and shift my gaze down to her backside. The high school memory of tugging her tail as she was cutting vines and dropping them on my head makes me smile fondly. In reply, she claps her hands around the gently swaying appendage and stares daggers at me. “Don’t. You. Even. Think about it.” “Best not turn your back to me, then.” I give her a sly grin as she narrows her eyes in my direction. I turn back to the choked soil and continue my excavation. It might be miserable work, but at least it’s not boring when I have a ptero wife to tease- *Thwack!* A thin cloud of dirt explodes as something spindly and fibrous bounces from the side of my head to the ground. “What the fu-” I cough, waving a hand to clear the earthen mist from around my face. I look down to see the remains of a clump of weeds which I did not pull myself, and snap my attention to Lucy who wears an expression of mixed parts shock and amusement. She gulps. “I, uh… didn’t expect it to explode like that.” She stifles a laugh. With a final clearing of my throat to remove the remaining dirt particles from my lungs, I spring to my feet and deftly flick both of my wrists, casting the gloves from my hands to the grass below. “Welcome to ‘Tail Tug Town,’ population: YOU!” Lucy cries out as she attempts to get up and run; for all the advantages her species holds, land-speed is not among them. I rapidly close the distance, throw my arms around her hips and spin her to the ground in a perfectly executed tackle. I make sure to cushion her fall so as to not actually hurt her, but the moment we’re on the ground I pin her to the grass and begin my attack. She screams protestations and giggles profusely as she attempts to deflect my hands. As I try to grab at her tail, she wiggles and squirms away at the last second, rotating her butt to blockade the treasure from my grasp. Her wings fruitlessly beat against the ground as she laughs and fusses. “Noo! Stop! Ahahaha stop, you beast! Stooop! ” Just when I’m about to claim my prize, movement from the corner of my eye forces me to cease the attack and quickly look up. On the sidewalk stands an elderly gallimimus man adorned with a track suit and a straw hat. He peers at me from under the brim with a look of disapproval. At the sudden pause of my assault, Lucy also turns her head to look towards the man, her expression shifting from surprise to embarrassment. Mid-straddle of my pterosaur wife in the front yard of my home, I lift a hand in greeting. “Morning, Burt.” Lucy also gives a small wave from her imprisoned position. “Hi, Burt.” Burt does not reply. He merely narrows his eyes, shakes his head slightly, and continues on his morning walk. Our eyes follow him as he slowly disappears from sight beyond the next door neighbor’s hedges. The moment he’s gone, we both burst out laughing, with Lucy giving me a shove to free herself from my hold. As we both get to our feet, Lucy folds her wings forward and glances at them. “Ohhh, look what YOU did, Anon! I’ve got grass stains all over my feathers!” Streaks of green run down the backs of her wings where they rubbed against the grass as she struggled against my handsy onslaught. “... Whoops. Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t shower yet?” She huffs at me and gives her wings an annoyed flap. “It’ll have to wait. We still have more weeding to do. Quit being a butthead and go back to your post.” She gives me one last sassy look before striding past me towards her half of the flower bed. As she passes, her tail sways defiantly. I grin. “... What did I say about turning your back to me?” — A few hours and a few bouts of playful roughhousing later, the gardens surrounding our home are finally clear of invasive plants. As I built up quite a layer of grime and, as Lucy put it, “a hearty stink,” I’m the first one in the shower. The hot water rejuvenates my body and mind as it rinses the caked mud and foliage from my arms and head. I probably wouldn’t have been quite this dirty if someone hadn’t beaned me with a clump of weeds, but here we are. As I lather myself up, I hear Lucy rummaging around in the bedroom. I usually leave the door to our master bathroom cracked open when I shower; we really don’t have a whole lot to hide from one another anymore. I peek around the shower curtain and call out, “Lucy, you sure you don’t wanna join me in here?” A moment later, I see the tip of her snout poke through the crack in the door, a sly smile gracing her lips. “I don’t think so. It’s gonna take me some time to clean the grass stains off my wings, thanks to you.” I suppose that makes sense; I know she doesn’t wash her wings every single day, and when she does it’s quite a process to fully clean and dry them. A minor sacrifice for being an angel. “Well, I mean, I could help you with that…” My true intentions are crystal clear. Her grin widens. “After your stunts out on the yard? Nope.” She sticks her tongue out at me and slowly withdraws her head from the crack in the door. Brutal. After I conclude my very boring and non-sexy shower, I towel myself off and exit the bathroom. Lucy is patiently waiting, seated on the side of the bed, holding her wings at a slightly higher angle to avoid getting any grass stains on the bedspread. She gives me a smile as I rummage around in the dresser for a fresh change of clothes. She speaks up, “So, since my shower is going to take a while… would you mind running to the store to pick up the flower seeds?” I turn to her with an expression of confusion and she bats her eyelashes at me. “Why on earth would you think I am capable of this task? I barely know what a flower is, let alone which ones are appropriate to plant in the fall.” “You’ve technically got more experience planting them than I do.” I give her a look of frustration. “This day of gardening was YOUR idea! Why am I going to the store now?!” She bats her eyelashes at me more fervently. “Because you looove me?” I let out a long, sustained sigh, mostly to see if she’ll keep batting her eyelashes at me until I finish. She does. “Uuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhhhh fine.” She cheers as she hops up from the side of the bed and pecks me on the cheek as I maintain my overexaggerated scowl. “Thanks sweetie! See you in a bit; shower time!” I walk out to the living room in a slight haze, still unsure of how I was cajoled into this task for which I am so ill-equipped. Am I so weak that it only takes Lucy fluttering her eyes and saying she loves me to convince me to do her bidding? From the master bathroom down the hall, I hear the water start up. My imagination instantly manifests her naked form, standing in the shower as she runs her hands through her hair. She glances at me and gives me a knowing smile. Just as suddenly as she appears, she vanishes. Damn hormones. Damn libido. Apparently I’m just this woman’s slave. As I shake the lustful thoughts from my mind, I withdraw my phone and unlock it. Where the hell do I even start with trying to find flowers to plant in fall? I could spend some time on Gruugle and research what’s what, but I’d prefer to not go down the ad-ridden rabbit hole of clickbait and nonsensical stories about the history of ancient agriculture. If I go to one of the big box stores, the employees will look at me with glossed-over eyes if I dare ask any questions beyond “Where’s the bathroom?”. Hmm… What about an actual florist shop? I know they typically sell grown flowers, but I bet they’d have seeds, too. They’ll also know a lot more than the teenagers at those retail chains. I pull up Gruugle Maps and tap the words “flower shop” into the search bar. There are a few results nearby: one with terrible reviews, one that’s “closed” (on a Saturday?)... oh, there’s one. Good reviews, and it’s in Little Troodon, not too far from the place that used to be Dino Moe’s. When Moe retired and sold the restaurant they rebranded it. Lucy and I haven’t been back since… her episode. No reason to dwell on the past right now. I slide the phone back into my pocket and call out to Lucy as I put my shoes on. “On my way out, honey. See you in a bit.” Her raised voice overcoming the sound of the shower rings out from down the hall. “See you soon, love you!” — A weather-worn wooden sign in the outline of a flower bears the name of the corner-facing shop: “Florería”. The sign hangs over the stone archway encircling the entrance which gives the otherwise humble establishment a commanding visage over the intersection. Its windows display no gaudy decals of advertisement or promotion; instead, they offer a glimpse into a wonderland of daisies, lilies, mums and azaleas. Of course, the difference between many of these flowers is a complete mystery to a dope like myself. I could point at one and say “rose” or “not rose,” and that’s about it. I glance over my shoulder and see the outline of what used to be Dino Moe’s about a block and a half down the street. It’s called “Pachy Pizza” now. The food’s alright, not as good as it was under Moe’s management, but… I don’t think we can go back at this point. On that night, I rushed Lucy to the car and had to spend basically every second with her for the next few days before she calmed down enough to not try preening if I wasn’t there. It wasn’t until the day after the incident that I realized we basically dined and dashed, having not paid for the mozzarella sticks we had eaten or the dinner that was being prepared. Instead, we left a blood-soaked booth and a concerned crowd of onlookers in our wake. It’s not even a matter of being unable to return due to the unpaid check; I’m sure I could walk in right now, apologize and pay for the food, months late as the payment would be. No… I worry that Lucy won’t be able to return due to the associative memory of the incident. She still hasn’t gone near Volcano High and it’s been over three years since we graduated. If they ever do a class reunion, would she be well enough by that time to attend? I banish the thoughts from my head. Focus on the mission at hand, Anon. We’re here for flowers, not mulling over hypotheticals that are years out. I walk up the steps to the entryway and place my hand on the door handle. A small bell lets out a quaint jingle as the door swings open. Before I take a step through the threshold, I am immediately bombarded with more scents than my nose is used to taking in at once, the myriad of flowers combining into an odorous cacophony. The sudden sensation makes me reel for a moment, but I push onward to the interior of the shop. Colors I could not fully catalog in a hundred years surround me, each one attached to a green stem that rises from a vase or a planter. Looking to the counter, I am greeted by the most appropriate attendant for a flower shop: a small, gray cat. It lifts its head from its curled position to peer lazily at me for a moment, then lowers its head once more to resume its slumber. Obviously this cat is an expert in customer service; I already feel welcomed and accommodated. I do imagine there should be an actual person behind the counter, or… I freeze. The sudden realization of what might occur washes over me in a cold wave. Flower shop named “Florería”, in the middle of Volcaldera Bluffs… there’s no way. There have been too many damned coincidences in the past few days for this to be feasible. I hear stirring in the back. From around a corner, a figure begins to emerge. I see the outline of a reddish brown dinosaur. No fucking way. The voice that speaks to me is… masculine? “Hola, ¿en qué puedo ayudarle?” Now that the dinosaur is fully visible, I can tell that he is very much a “he”. The burly ankylosaur wipes a trail of sweat from his brow as he sizes me up. He tucks the handkerchief into the chest pocket of his overalls as he awaits my response. I sigh. Thank you, Raptor Jesus. I wasn’t ready for another coincidence. Unfortunately, I am now at a crossroads where I don’t understand what the hell this fellow is saying to me. “Uhh… hello. I’m looking for… flower seeds.” I give a slight shrug, indicating that my method of communication is all I have at my disposal. The shopkeeper stares blankly at me for a moment, then cocks his head to the side as he speaks over his shoulder. “Cariño, tienes un cliente.” More rustling in the back of the shop. This time, a feminine voice calls out. “Sí, ¡ya voy, ya voy!” Another shape emerges from the back room. The second reddish brown dinosaur to pass through this particular portal is decidedly more feminine in shape, with flowing brown hair and a form-fitting sundress. You’ve gotta be kidding me. “Yes, hello-” She stops speaking as her eyes widen in recognition. “... aaaAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEE!! ¡SANTA MADRE DE DIOS! ¡¿DE VERDAD ERES TÚ?! AN-ON!!” Rosa beams a smile at me and waddles from around the counter with her arms extended upwards, intending to wrap me in a hug. As she rounds the divider, I see that she is… larger than she used to be. Not fatter, per se, but her midsection has a certain orb-like appearance. She throws her arms around me and pulls me into a hug, squeezing me into the embrace. “It has been too long, An-on! How are you?!” I roll forward slightly on her enormous tummy and instinctively hold my hands up in a show of innocence as I glance over at the male ankylosaur who simply smiles and gives a slight nod. At the granted permission, I lower my hands and gently return the hug, patting Rosa on the shoulders. “Heeey Rosa, long time no see.” I step back as she releases me from the embrace. “You’re looking, uh…” I glance down at her portly shape. “¿Embarazada? ¡Sí, sí! Another little blessing from God on the way!” She looks over to the man in the overalls and gives him a warm smile which he returns. “Ah, so he is… your husband?” I figure it’s a safe guess if she still maintains the same religious persuasions. “Yes! An-on, this is Ramón. ¡Ramón, este es mi amigo del instituto, An-on!” At being addressed, Ramón steps forward and extends a hand. I accept the handshake and give him a polite nod. “I met Ramón on a mission trip after graduation, and we married very soon after! Forgive him, he is still learning this language.” At this, Ramón gives a toothy grin and speaks in a heavy accent: “My name Ramón.” Rosa turns to him. “No, no! ‘My name is Ramón’!” Ramón tries again. “... My name es Ramón.” I smile, holding back a chuckle. “Well, Ramón is doing very well so far. And, sorry, did you say… another little blessing is on the way?” I glance down at her bun in the oven. Rosa giggles and puts a hand to her cheek. “ ¡Sí! She will be number three!” I… wait, what? “... Three?!” “Our other two babies are asleep in the other room! They are so beautiful, you must see them! Ramón, trae a los bebés.” Ramón seems to protest, though I don’t understand his words. Rosa barks another command at him in a string of syllables I can’t even fathom following, and Ramón sheepishly hangs his head and does as he’s told, disappearing into the back room. Rosa turns back my way and smiles. She begins scanning the rest of the shop beyond me. “Are you here alone, or…?” “Yes, it’s just me.” She deflates a bit. “Oh… I would have thought-” “Lucy’s at home. I’m here at her behest.” She claps her hands together excitedly and cheers. “ ¡Lo sabía! I always knew you two would be so good together! Congratulations!” I scratch the back of my head and smirk. “Thanks. Congratulations to you, too. Your husband seems very nice, and…” I glance around at the surrounding flowers. “Is this shop yours?” “It is owned by the familia, but yes! I am managing this store with Ramón. Are you here to buy flowers for Lucy, you romántico?” She flutters her eyelashes at me, not unlike Lucy did to convince me to run this errand. “Well… that actually isn’t a terrible idea. But I’m here for seeds. Namely, seeds for the flower beds in our front yard that we hope can bloom come springtime.” Rosa’s eyes go wide and she claps her hands together again. “Ahh! I have just the thing for you! Come, come!” Before I can protest, she grips my hand and pulls me to the other side of the store. Baby factory or not, she’s still got muscles to toss my ass around like a rag doll. She begins plucking bags of seeds from various wicker baskets that line a particular wall, rattling off names of flowers and pointing at the images to show off the resulting blooms. My head starts to spin at the choices. Why was I assigned to this errand, again? I cut off Rosa as she tries to explain the seventeenth bag of seeds in continuation of her fervent salesmanship. “These all look wonderful, but I just can’t decide which ones to go with. Could you pick out a few that you think would go nicely together for me?” Rosa’s smile beams more brightly. I don’t think she picked up on the fact that I don’t care what she chooses. “ ¡Sí! We will go with the pansies, the perennials, and… oh, the violas! Your front yard will be so beautiful in the spring!” With each choice, she places several seed packets in my hands. Soon, my arms overflow with the plastic baggies. I never told her how big my yard was. This is probably WAY more than we need. … Eh. Too late now. As she makes her way back to the front counter, Ramón finally emerges from the back. He looks exhausted. “Lo siento, los pequeños habían ensuciado sus pañales, vaya peste...” Rosa waves off his sentiment. “Aquí, aquí.” Ramón approaches with two swaddled bundles, one in the crook of each arm. The faces of two infant ankylosaurs are visible in the balls of cloth, one looking up at me with half-lidded brownish-red eyes, the other sleeping peacefully. Tufts of hair the same color as Rosa's poke from the tops of their heads. Rosa introduces them: “This is Hector, and this is Amelia. Twins, they are seven months old. Hector is older by seven minutes!” I glance down at Rosa’s belly once more. Guess it’s true what they say about those religious types not believing in contraceptives. I gently extend a finger towards the one that is awake, Amelia. In response, she reaches out with her diminutive hand and squeezes it. I speak up. “They are both very cute. And you said the one on the way is a girl? Just one this time?” Rosa giggles. “Yes, we are already so blessed but we cannot wait for Isabella to join us! Only a few more weeks!” Three kids already. I don’t even know if I’m ready for one; I couldn’t imagine three. An image of Lucy appears in my mind, her slender form adorned with a spherical tummy. Her hands are on the sides of her stomach, and she smiles at me. “Anon! I felt her kick!” There’s that stone in my gut again. “An-on? You wanted some flowers, too?” Rosa’s voice snaps me out of my daydream. Ramón has vanished with the twins, and Rosa looks at me from the other side of the pile of seed bags on the counter. Did I slip into a coma for a second? “Uhh… yeah, sure. Got any Middlemist Red Camellias?” Her eyes light up and she giggles. “Oh, An-on! I cannot believe you remembered those flowers from school! Ah, but no, I do not have those. They are very rare! How about some nice roses instead? I am sure Lucy would love them.” I glance over to the selection of roses. “Sure. I’ll take the white ones.” — I pull the car into my familiar driveway. Before I exit the vehicle, I take out my phone and open up the Faceboop app. Rosa sent me a friend request; as she tapped my name into her own phone at the shop, she vocalized how much Lucy needs to meet her babies. Add another one to the pile of "people with whom Lucy can reconnect if she can find the strength to do so." I consider once more how wildly unlikely these reunions have been. I understand Volcaldera Bluffs isn't a humongous town, but it's certainly got more than twelve people living in it. Reed, Trish, and now Rosa... at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Stella came wandering out of the shrubs in the neighbor's yard. I stare at the bushes for a minute; no green stegosaurus emerges. Well, let's just chalk it up as a strange coincidence, then. Besides, I could meet the entire student body of Volcano High in one day and it still wouldn't mean Lucy is ready to make amends. I secure the plastic bag full of seed packets and the small bundle of six white roses and head towards my home. "Welcome back, hon. Hope you're hungry; you're just in time for lunch." Lucy leans back and peeks at me from the kitchen doorway as I enter. As I close the front door I use my body to block the roses in my hand. "What sort of seeds did you get?" I feign ignorance. "Well, let's see... I got corn, wheat, potato..." Lucy rolls her eyes. "Okay, Farmer Mous. Let me know when the tractor pull is happening." I throw on a drawling accent. "Listen here, woman! You're a farmer's wife now. You best be milkin' them cows and feedin' them chickens, else you gonna get a whoopin'!" She laughs, adorning her own southern bell tone. "I do declare, husband! You are a harsh master! If I could vote, things would be different around here!" As I enter the kitchen, I see our plated meals awaiting us: sandwiches, chips, and some sliced fruit. Very similar to what I just had yesterday with Reed and Trish. Add another coincidence to the bucket. Lucy takes the plastic bag from my hand as I continue concealing the white roses behind my back. She peeks in, the tip of her nose actually entering the bag as she does so. "Hmm... violas, pansies and perennials. Well, well, my good-looking partner in gardening, these are some fine choices. And you said you weren't confident in going to the store all by your lonesome?" I shrug. "I got a little help. But that's not all I got." Lucy looks up at me. Her wings give a slight twitch of anticipation; it's an adorable little tell I've picked up on since I've spent so much time with her. I perform the grand reveal as I bring the white roses around my body and into her view. She gasps, dropping the bag of seeds, and her lip quivers slightly. "Ohhhh, Anon! They're beautiful!" She takes the bundle of flowers from my hands and gives them a deep smell, closing her eyes to take in the fragrance. As she brings her head back up, she gazes at me with a loving smile. "You are too sweet! Come here!" Before I know it, I'm wrapped in one of her patented "double hugs." Her arms squeeze tightly to me, the roses temporarily in the flat of my back, while her wings encase me, fluttering softly. She smells absolutely intoxicating. A fresh shower plus the scent of the perfume I gave to her... Lord have mercy, this woman about to make me act up. As much as I'd love to carry her into the bedroom again, I eke out a rare modicum of self-restraint and opt to simply return her hug. She nuzzles her head against my shoulder as I stroke her hair gently. I whisper, "Does this mean you forgive me for the tail-tugging?" She looks up at me and smiles. "Only if you forgive me for hurling that weed bomb at your head." "It's a deal." A few minutes later, Lucy and I happily consume the tasty lunch she prepared. The white roses have found a home in a vase that now sits at the center of the dinner table. The vase was recently vacated by its previous tenants, a selection of flowers from our wedding that we brought home and kept alive for as long as they lasted. Lucy contentedly chomps away at a portion of her sandwich, and as she swallows she looks up at me as though she just remembered something. "Tomorrow we're heading over to my parents' place!" I finish chewing my own mouthful of sandwich and reply once it is polite to do so. "Yeah, that was the plan. Tomorrow is when 'Trick or Treat'-ing is happening, too. Do they have candy for the kids in the neighborhood?" "Probably, but I'll text mom just to be sure. If not, we can pick some up." With the end of October comes the ancient tradition of carving pumpkins and giving treats to small, costumed goblins. Due to the rapidity of our marriage, getting moved into this house and handling a bunch of other newlywed minutia, we didn't have time to do any decorating or activities for Halloween. Neither of us are too broken-hearted about it; maybe next year we can visit a haunted house or go on a hayride, but this year we have been preoccupied with one another. Reason enough to miss out on a holiday. Lucy finishes tapping away at her cell phone and sets it on the table. She glances down for a moment, then back up at me with innocent eyes. "Would... would you want to come to church with us tomorrow?" I set my sandwich down and cross my arms as I consider. She continues, "You don't have to if you don't want to... I just thought it would be nice..." The topic has come up a handful of times. Lucy not only works for the church in their preschool and daycare departments; she has also been attending services with her parents. I really don't mind her going. It seems that faith has been at least somewhat of a comfort to her. However, I'm still unsure as to where I line up on the whole God thing. I don't find His existence to be entirely impossible, and even the notion of Him sending His velociraptor son to die on a cross-shaped stone for our sins makes a surprising amount of sense for how ludicrous it seems in concept. The problem is reconciling in my mind a merciful God that flippantly allows the snuffing of life and other atrocities. Watching a military buddy turn to a fine red mist before your eyes can have the unintended side effect of making you question the love of a supposedly omnipotent being. That said, church might be an additional motivator to get Lucy out of her social funk. I pinch the bridge of my nose slightly. "Are you sure? I might let a curse word slip or make an off-color joke." She crosses her arms and smirks. "It's been a long time since God has struck anyone down with lightning in our church." "Right, but I don't want to embarrass you or your parents in front of the congregation." "I have complete faith in my wonderful husband that he can maintain his composure and not make an ass of himself for an hour and a half." "... Who did you marry, again?" She giggles. "So, does that mean it's a 'yes'?" I shrug in resignation. "Sure, what could it hurt?" Lucy gives a little sound of elation. "Oh, Anon! Thank you! Mom and dad will be ecstatic! Oh, speaking of..." The phone on the table buzzes, informing her of a notification. She scoops up the device and reads the text. "Yep, mom says they're good on candy. They just want us to bring ourselves!" She taps another reply, one I assume is letting Samantha know I'll be joining them in the pew tomorrow morning. Too late to back out now. She sets her phone down once more and looks up at me with a smile. I’ve just placed the last bit of my lunch into my mouth; she glances at my empty plate, then to her own that still has one bite of sandwich remaining. She playfully flits her eyebrows at me, picks up the remaining sandwich, tosses it into the air and snaps it mid-flight with her beak. It’s been a while since she’s done that move; obviously she’s in a good mood. “Impressive as always, my avian amore.” I tap my hands together in a light golf clap. She takes a bow. “Thank you, thank you. For my next trick, I’ll make some seeds turn into fully-grown flowers! However, I am going to need an assistant for this one.” Back to work I go.