Flip the Bird

by Kym Brunner

  “I understand, Mercer. You did what you had to. At least my parents are home now.” She lifted my hand and scooched closer to me, resting my hand in her lap. She rubbed my thumb with hers, making every nerve in my body wake up. “You want to hear something ironic? Along with vandalism, they charged both my parents with cruelty to animals.”

  I know that should’ve pleased me, but somehow their arrest didn’t make me feel any better. Monocle was still dead, and the DNR would still be reviewing my dad’s case sometime in the future. “That’s crazy.”

  Lucy intertwined our fingers and sighed. Her pink fingernail polish and her Snow White skin looked so perfect against my callused hands and dirt-lined nails. “I’ve got more bad news. This morning before school, my dad made it more than abundantly clear that I couldn’t speak to you or hang out with you ever again.” The words left her lips and squeezed my heart, like the bands around our resident raptors’ legs. “But you know what?” She grinned at me and kissed the back of my hand. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. We can hang out at school, meet at the mall, sneak out to the movies. We just can’t be seen together, or my parents will totally flip out.”

  “They’d ‘flip’ out? You sure about that?” I smiled at her, despite the fact that every muscle in my body ached with the knowledge of where this conversation was headed. I hated myself for what I was going to say even before I said it.

  She laughed, gazing at me with those beautiful green eyes, which made what I had to say all the more difficult. I squeezed her hand, shifting one knee over the opposite side of the bench so I could face her. The way I’d always wanted to do with a girlfriend. I needed her to know that what I was about to say came directly from my heart, even though there wasn’t going to be a happy ending.

  “Lucy, you know I really, really like you. I think you are the prettiest, coolest, most fun girl I’ve ever met.” She smiled sweetly at me, her eyes sparkling, clearly pleased with my compliment. I continued, “And to be honest, I think my parents could eventually accept that we were going out, especially considering how you told the truth about what happened. Showed them you have values like ours, you know?”

  “Uh-huh.” She nodded, but her smile started to droop on the edges.

  “But the thing is, I did a lot of thinking yesterday. Like hours and hours.”

  Her grip on my hand lessened, but she didn’t let go.

  I hesitated for a moment, hating the next part. “And I decided that if I had to sneak around to see you, I didn’t want to settle for that.” I paused and looked at her. “As much as I like you, it’s super stressful to lie all the time about where I’m going and whom I’m seeing. Makes me feel bad inside. Like I’m doing something wrong.”

  Lucy released my hand and pulled her blond ponytail to one side. “I get it. And I probably even knew it too, but I didn’t want to say it.” She sighed, nervously stroking her hair. “My dad was so hurt that I told you he . . . he looked like he wanted to cry.” She winced, as if reliving the scene. “And after they got home, my mom sobbed all night worrying about the future. It’ll be a long time before they get over this, I think.”

  “The whole situation sucks. I wish things could be different.” And it was true. I was giving up the sweetest, prettiest girl around. Part of me wanted to scream, “Kidding!” and kiss her, but the part of me that had spent last night thinking things over knew I was doing what was right for me. For Lucy too, it seemed. My internal organs would thank me as well, because lately all the anxiety over this stuff had made me lose my appetite.

  “Me too. And though I understand that what my parents did was wrong, I know that, underneath it all, they’re good people. I only wish that our two families weren’t such opposites so you and I could . . .” She bit her lip and looked like she was going to cry. A girl crying over me? My heart melted even more.

  I touched her shoulder. “How about a hug? No one should have any problem with that, right?” She nodded and we hugged, both of us knowing it was the end of “us.”

  As we pulled apart, she asked, “So . . . what happened to your eye—​a flying squirrel got revenge? Or was Flip hungry for an appetizer?” She grinned, wiping away one solitary tear.

  “Nah. It was Lincoln’s way of saying thanks for messing things up for him and Lauren.”

  She winced, peering closer. “No way! Does it hurt?”

  “Not as bad as I’m feeling about not being able to see you anymore.”

  She smiled. “You’ll survive. We both will. Starting tomorrow, we need to find a new table to sit at—​minus Haley, that is—​if you, Charlie, and Reed would like to join us.”

  Losing Lucy as a girlfriend but keeping her as a friend would be great, at least for the time being. “Of course! But are you saying you’re on the outs with Haley?” I quickly added, “Not that I mind or anything.”

  She laughed. “My parents also made it abundantly clear I can’t hang out with her either, per our attorney.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “C’mon, the bell’s going to ring in a minute.”

  The weirdest thing was, as Lucy and I walked away, all I felt was relief. All the energy I had spent trying not to talk about the thing I loved most was killing me. I was free to be myself. And just because Lincoln thought lying to girls to get them to hook up with you was perfectly fine, it didn’t feel right to me. If that made me a wuss, so be it. So long, Tough Guy.

  I decided to put aside the drama for good and start thinking seriously about the big event that I’d been looking forward to my whole life: my first official hunting meet as a falconer. Nothing could lift my spirits more than to show I deserved to win that elusive Best Apprentice pin. Even if I didn’t get it, being out in the field with Flip, my mind free to think about nothing but hawking, would be the best healing ointment for my broken heart.

  Lincoln finally dragged his sorry butt home Monday night during dinner—​probably because he smelled Dad’s world-famous beef stroganoff. The sound of the door closing made us all stop and stare as my brother strolled into the kitchen, his eyes darting around from face to face. His clothes were all wrinkly, his face was unshaven, and, even from five feet away, he reeked like the guys’ locker room after a round of basketball.

  “So you’ve finally decided to grace us with your presence?” Dad stepped away from the table, his hands on his hips. “I’m so disappointed with you right now that I can’t even say I’m glad to see you.”

  Lincoln leaned against the counter, his face strained with worry. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. I don’t even want to see me either. I just want to say that I’m sorry I acted like such a jerk yesterday.” He shrugged, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

  “Only yesterday?” I shoveled another bite into my mouth. “More like a lifetime. In fact, you should major in Jerk when you go to college—​you’d ace it.”

  “Mercer.” Mom placed her fork next to her plate and discreetly shook her head. “Let Dad and me handle this.”

  “Have you seen my face, Mom?” I pointed to my black eye, but since I also had a huge wad of stroganoff stuffed in my cheek, I probably looked ridiculous, not sympathy worthy. “I believe my injury gives me the right to interrogate the suspect.” All this police talk of late had got me going.

  “Whoa. I did that?” Lincoln walked up to me to get a closer look, resting his hand on my shoulder as he leaned in.

  I instinctively shrugged his hand off. “Exactly where you aimed. Shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.”

  He took a deep breath and raked a hand through his hair. “Man, I’m really sorry, Mercer. I’ll make it up to you somehow, I swear. Just name it.”

  At least he seemed way more sincere than Reed had. I rubbed my chin, pretending to consider his offer. “Well . . . I think introducing me to a few of the hundreds of the girls you’ve rejected over the years might be a start, since I suddenly find myself girlfriend free.”

  Lincoln scratched his neck and sighed. “You’re not the only one. Turned out Lauren loo
ked up Zola on Facebook to tell her off, but Zola said she didn’t know I was two-timing her, either. So now they both hate me. But I’ll see what I can do.” He winked at me.

  A part of me was sad not to have Lauren around anymore, but the other part was glad she’d dumped him. She deserved better than my brother.

  “You’re going to have to do a lot more than that—​both of you.” Dad sat down, opening his napkin and placing it on his lap. “Beginning with cleaning up the rehab center. Now that the police are done collecting evidence, you boys need to sweep up, haul out all the trash, and repair any damage.”

  “You got it,” Lincoln said agreeably.

  I looked Dad in the eye. “Of course. I can even start tonight.” Putting things back in place would make me feel at least a little better about the whole situation.

  Dad frowned. “That’s not all for you, Lincoln, I’m afraid. In addition to cleaning up the inside of the rehab center, I’d like you to give the outside of the building a new coat of paint after everything’s back in order. Hopefully that will serve as a physical reminder that violence is not an acceptable way to handle problems.”

  “Yeah, I guess I deserve a little pain in return.” Lincoln sighed. “But do you mind if I eat now? I’m starving.” He walked toward the dish cabinet when Dad’s voice boomed across the room.

  “Whoa!” Dad held his hands up. “Go wash up first. You look like you haven’t seen a hygiene product for days.”

  “Guilty as charged.” Lincoln smiled, heading toward the sink.

  So Lincoln was getting into the whole cop-lingo thing too. After dinner, Dad, Lincoln, and I spent several hours restoring the rehab center close to its original state. Even Maddie and Mom helped out, sweeping and wiping down shelves. Not exactly a family vacation, but it was the first time in a long while that our family felt complete.

  That entire week flew by, even faster than I had wanted, since I wasn’t entirely sure Flip and I were ready. I worked him tirelessly, but the closer Friday came, the more keyed up I became. I couldn’t test Flip by having him go after real quarry because that was illegal until after the official start to the hunting season, but he did keep snagging my lure like a pro.

  School wasn’t that bad either. It sucked to have lost Lucy as a girlfriend, but we were great at being friends, all of us sitting together. At least Reed knew better than to ask Lucy out, and Charlie kept up with his crazy antics trying to make Jeanette laugh. And without Haley around telling me that I was a horrible person, things were actually pleasant. And I ate meat every day.

  On Friday after dinner, Dad and Lincoln had me pack everything. Part of an apprentice’s job, they said smugly. After I nearly broke my back lugging all the travel carriers off the storage shelves, they both chipped in, saying they were only kidding about having me do all the work on my own. As we loaded up the truck, we triple-checked the list of things we’d need for the trip. And to end the evening on just the perfect note, Flip even let me stroke his chest feathers a few times without a single repercussion.

  At eight thirty, Dad announced that we should hit the sack early. “Two thirty will be here mighty quick.”

  I got into bed but couldn’t sleep—​mostly because I never went to bed before eleven, but also because I felt nervous. The gig was up. Time to lay my Flip on the table and show everyone what I had. It felt like I’d slept only ten minutes when Dad switched on the light in my room and told me to get ready. I hopped out of bed even faster than the rabbits that Flip was going to catch later that day.

  The hunt was finally here.

  THIRTY

  DRESSING IN LAYERS AS WE ALWAYS DO, I slipped on my FALCONERS DO IT ON THE FLY T-shirt, followed by my long-sleeved camouflage shirt, Dad’s old vest with my new whistle and hunting license tucked into the chest pocket, a pair of old jeans, and Lincoln’s army boots. The trick was to wear clothes that burrs wouldn’t cling to because those suckers hurt when they poked through. I looked out the window and saw Dad enter the rehab center for our final task: getting our hunting birds hooded and loaded into the carriers. I dashed downstairs to help, trying not to wake Mom and Maddie.

  I inhaled two doughnuts from the white cardboard box on the kitchen counter and was reaching for a third when Lincoln strode in. He snatched a glazed doughnut, ate two bites, and shoved the rest in his mouth with one push. Charlie would have been proud.

  “What’s new, Buddie Boy?” he asked, imitating Dad.

  “Not much,” I said, realizing right then that Dad hadn’t called me that in a while. “You’re still ugly.”

  Lincoln grabbed my milk and downed the entire glass. He smiled and let out a huge belch.

  “Thanks for finishing that for me.” I nodded my approval. “Mom bought some new cat pee–enriched milk, and I couldn’t bring myself to drink it.”

  “Tasty!” he proclaimed, grinning. Lincoln plucked his lucky red flannel hunting cap off the counter and set it on his head. “Well, off we go. Can’t keep those rabbits waiting now, can we?”

  “Nope. At least I can’t. But you’ll be waiting a long time, because Flip’s going to catch them all.” I wiped my hands on his shirt.

  “We’ll see about that.” Lincoln belched in my face. “Let’s go.”

  We went out to the rehab center, the night air crisp and cool. When dawn came and warmed things up a bit, it would be the perfect temperature for hunting—​not too warm, which makes the birds sluggish, and not too cool, which makes the hunters crabby. Dad had already loaded Troy onto his truck and was waiting for me to do the same for Flip. As I carefully secured Flip and his carrier in the truck, I felt like a proud papa preparing his son for his first day of kindergarten.

  “That’s it. Good job, Mercer,” Dad told me, sounding awfully close to a proud papa himself. “Now let’s get going. We’ve got a three-hour drive ahead of us.”

  Dad got onto I-94 heading north to Wisconsin. Since I was relegated to the back seat, Lincoln poured Dad his coffee, the delectable scent filling the truck. A feeling of exhilaration also permeated the air, and I breathed it in, longing to create a mental picture of this whole weekend to look back on in the future. I felt wide-awake—​for about thirty minutes. Then sleep deprivation kicked in, and I dozed the rest of the way. Dad woke me when we reached the edge of Jack Foster’s place. Jack had been Dad’s sponsor way back in the Triassic period, and his land was prime falconer country.

  The sun was beginning to peek above the horizon as we drove down the half-mile entrance onto Jack’s four-hundred-acre property. Gorgeous maple trees with leaves in golden, orange, and burgundy hues lined the driveway, reminding me that Wisconsin’s change of colors blasted into a sensory explosion about two weeks earlier than in Illinois. I thought about how Lucy would have loved to be there. A twinge of regret coursed through me, but it didn’t last long. Trying to outrun all of those lies felt a lot like an executioner was chasing me, the way they always were in Death Patrol III.

  We parked along the rows of vans and trucks lining the grass in front of the Fosters’ enormous log house. My adrenaline kicked in when I stepped out of the truck as a hunter, rather than a helper, for the very first time.

  We joined the group of nearly thirty falconers who stood around talking, drinking coffee, and checking out each other’s birds. It turned out that all that silly falconer talk was interesting when you knew the lingo. I hung out with Lincoln and some of the other guys we knew, a sense of pride welling up in my chest. Even though I didn’t contribute all that much to the conversation, I finally understood all the tips and explanations they spoke about, sucking that information into my brain like a vacuum cleaner.

  “Good morning, falconers and friends! Can I get your attention, please?” Jack Foster stood on the second step of his porch, waving his blue plaid hunting cap with the goofy ear flaps above his pure white hair. “I’m thrilled you all could make it to our twenty-fourth annual Midwest Falconers’ Club Fall Classic Kickoff. I’d like to welcome all our new members as well as the s
easoned ones. It’s great seeing so many old faces.”

  “Yeah, none older than yours,” a familiar voice yelled.

  “Watch it, Weasel,” Jack warned, pointing a gnarled finger, “or I’m gonna sic my bird Esther on you. She likes chewing on smelly, rotten carcasses like yours.”

  Grinning, I turned and looked at Weasel. He gave me a nod and I gave him one back.

  As was customary, Jack had all the sponsors introduce their apprentices. There were three other apprentices on this trip: a fat dude in his mid-twenties, a well-groomed guy in his forties, and a lady hawker around my grandma’s age, who sported a well-worn cowboy hat. After she’d been introduced, she tipped her hat. That was cool. Maybe in the future, when Lucy and I were older, she’d want to become a lady hawker too, and we could try again. I’d never admit out loud I had that thought, but somehow the idea that Lucy was a “not now” but a “maybe someday” made me feel better. Dad introduced me then, so I smiled and held my trembling hand in the air, hoping no one would notice how nervous I was.

  Jack explained, “We’ll see how well you’ve trained your birds when I award one of you the Best Apprentice pin later on tonight. Now as all of you know, falconry is a rewarding experience that is firmly rooted in camaraderie and teamwork, not competition. We know that none of you would be here today if your sponsor felt you lacked the drive and appreciation for falconry. So as far as that is concerned, we commend all of you for making it this far.” He paused for a moment for applause and yelps of support.

  “That said, we like to recognize excellence in the field in our first-year apprentices at their very first hunt, which will showcase all that you’ve learned in the past few months. Your sponsors will complete your score sheets, watching for correct handling techniques, the variety and amount of quarry caught, and the ability to follow directions in the field. Good luck to all of you, and may the best apprentice win!”