#121: Bell

She came into our lives just as we arrived from the U.S. in 2000. She's generally quiet but chirps when she's hungry and whistles when we call her name.She gets excited when we come home and she likes to get out of her cage and play.

She used to have a partner, but when we were moving in 2002, her mate flew away and never to be seen again. We though that she's going to be very sad. We were thinking of letting her go. We tried several times. Once I took her out of her cage and put her on my shoulder and strolled outside the house. But instead of flying for her freedom, she just just stayed on my shoulder like a leach.

She flew out twice before. The first time, we left the door open and she dashed out. We were so sad that day but at the same time relieved. Maybe this time she wanted to be free. But yet she just stayed atop a tree just in front of the house. She stayed there for three days and each day we would be calling her and she would answer back. On the third day, she just came down from the tree and flew back to my shoulder. She was dirty, she lost some weight and was so hungry. She did it again a couple of months after and again came back to our midst.

That's when we realized that she would stick with us forever. Her name is Bell. She's a cockatiel and she's part of our family.