Animal buddies

I never had any pet animals or birds. But there were many animals in my life who almost became pets. Though they did not live in my house, I still considered them to be my friends. This is the story of one of such friends.

The time was April 2020. The world has come to a standstill because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nobody was allowed to leave their house. Everybody was trapped inside their homes. Just like everyone else even I was a confined to my home. Of course I did not find it torturous but I was quite enjoying it. One of such reasons was friends I had made during that time.

During that time lockdowns were imposed. Our office had told us to start working from home. I would start my work at 8:00 and it would go on endlessly. I was enjoying working from home but at the same time I was missing my colleagues. I was missing on all the fun that we used to have in the office. I was missing the human face to face interactions during the period. Sometimes I was feeling isolated and disconnected.

This also was the time when it started testing our patience. During this time I had started doing some activities like meditation and yoga so that I can find peace in the uncertain times. I was also trying to connect more with nature. I had no idea that nature will find a unique way to connect with me.

It was one random workday. It was a busy day. After finishing a meeting around 4:30 I decided to take a coffee break. During my coffee break I would ensure that I am not exposed to any electrical devices. I would not use my phone, tab, or laptop during my break. I poured my hot cup of coffee and took it to the balcony. I sat in the balcony and was looking around for a sign of life. All I could see was some plants in the complex garden and some stray dogs. While I was looking around, from the corner of my eye I noticed slight movement on my left side. I turned around to see that a rock pigeon was sitting at the window of the balcony. Blue grey coloured bird with bright orange eye was looking at me. It was not looking scared but just curious. I moved a little closure to have a look at it. It did not get scared and stayed where it was. Upon closer inspection I realised that the pigeon only had one eye. The other eye was covered with a thick white membrane. It must be a pirate pigeon, I thought to myself and smiled. It was a handsome male bird and the female sitting slightly away from him. He was looking at me as if he was observing me, watching my every move, or simply judging me for taking really strong coffee. I finished my coffee and I left. Both the pigeons continued to sit there for a some time and later flew away.

Next day the same thing happened. Around 4:30 I was having my coffee and these two pigeons punctually came and sat by the window. They would not try to enter the house or would get scared because of my presence. They had claimed the place to be their and were more than comfortable sharing it with me. The pigeons really made my time worthwhile. Everyday I would look forward to seeing the pigeons while having my coffee. The pigeons would never disappoint me and show up everyday at the same time. The pigeons had given me a hope that the tough times will get over. The bond that I had formed with these pigeons was something that I would forever cherish.

Now the pigeons are no longer there, but I still search for them everyday. There are plenty of pigeons in my area but no other pigeons would replace them. They were special and they were my "pandemic buddies".