Austin Flies The Coop

Saturday, I learned that Austin Nichols had left home.

My little friend down the road phoned and was quite distraught over his leaving. She expressed concern over the group of wild turkeys he may have taken up with and hoped they would have the patience to teach him.

She didn't feel he was ready quite yet. She said she felt spring would have been a better time to go.

Her husband checked the outlying areas for a few hours and ultimately,they resolved themselves to the fact that he had left the nest, so to speak.

I knew it was painful for the both of them. Even though wild turkeys are generally not housepets, they had hatched this bird and he became part of their family. He terrorized their two cats, ran the deer out of the backyard and kept the lady of house busy with his antics.

JB was unaffected. He said Austin would be back.

Sure enough, I got a call just yesterday morning with the news that Austin had returned. It appears a neighbor called when they noticed a turkey lurking around their door. My friend's husband went over and wasted no time in retrieving him.

So this is ultimately what happens, isn't it? You raise them, feed them, love them and then they start all this carousing. I warned my little friend of these pitfalls of parenting and likened Austin's weekend to that of a rebellious teenager.

It's what my own mother diplomatically referred to as "forgetting to come home."