Joy of an empty nest ....

It was a lazy Sunday morning and the terrace cleaning was on when I heard the chirping. It was coming from behind the washing machine and a quick look showed it to be a baby sparrow - wet due to the usage of water. A glance upwards showed that it most likely had fallen off a nest that was perched on my neighbour's window.

With a vague idea of putting it back in the nest I tried to get closer to it but of course it squawked dismally as I approached. So I gave up that thought. After sometime my hubby spied the mother sparrow flying down to the baby with food.

So there it remained - chirping intermittently and being fed by its mother. When the pigeons came near, it would hide under one of the legs of our washing machine and at night I think it hid in the same place.

After only one day of this - it seemed to like my hubby enough to sit next to his feet when he was sitting on his chair in the terrace.

My daughter and hubby worried that it perhaps did not have enough to eat and drink , filled a plastic cap with water and spread some grains for it. It seemed to like it ... and there began the routine. When my daughter was off at school it was my turn to check on its water supply and food.

Not knowing the growth cycle and wondering if its wing had broken in the fall and we did not know if the baby sparrow would ever fly. Still it seemed to feel like it was a member of our family - it was comfortable with us - especially my hubby whom it followed inside the house ! It would watch cricket in the living room with us too ... :)

We were not sure it would be good to have it inside the house for too long - what if the mother sparrow looked for it to give lessons in flying or more food ? So as if it could understand what we spoke - we told the baby sparrow to go outside for sometime ! All it did was give us this inquisitive look with a confidence that said - we would not chase it out !

Seeing this our daughter said we did not know how to speak to it and that we should speak to it in bird language. So bending down she "spoke" to it - "Tweet... tweet... tweet ... tweeeeeeeet ... tweeeet .. twit .. tweet ... TWIT !" with a flourish of hands and an emphatic tone ! The baby sparrow apparently understood because it went out !

Sometimes we saw that the sparrow had to compete with a couple of pigeons for the grains that we kept for it. We let it be since it would face similar situations in its life .. it also had enough of a survival instinct to know when to move out and where to go.

So it went ... It became a peripheral part of our lives. We would keep an ear out for its chirping and check on it often. We saw it trying to jump a little and fly with its tiny wings. We were glad that it seemed as if its wings were not damaged.

And then came the cardinal day ... it took flight - it flew to a balcony rail on the next building. I watched it with a fierce joy , it took me sometime to realize the happiness was mixed with heartache. I knew it was the last day I would see it. It spent the afternoon flying short distances between the buildings and looking at the varied views.

My daughter came back from school and looked for it in all corners of the terrace and did not find the baby

sparrow. It was gone. She was highly disappointed. So was my hubby. It never came back after that day and we missed it.

As my daughter snuggled close to me and was telling me it should have at least told her good-bye - it occurred to me that I knew now why it is called "empty-nest syndrome" when our children grow their wings and leave home. And I do not think the luxury of time will lessen the hollow feeling when it finally happens.

Still .... if the price for watching that ethereal flight into the unknown is ... the kind of joy, happiness, and heartache I feel now - I think I am glad to have the privilege of paying it.