After crying for an hour, I calmed down to pay the technicians and drove home. My heart still ached the rest of the afternoon and into the night, and only a pint of chocolate ice cream comforted me until I fell asleep. It wasn’t a restful sleep. I found myself in a nightmare of a ...

When I left the office, I spent the day driving and shopping around my Los Angeles neighborhood to forget everything Miss Billings told me. I couldn’t shake the mental picture of Louis with that other woman, no matter how hard I tried. When it hit seven o’clock it became unbearable. To satisfy my curiosity, I ...

“W-What is this?” I stuttered. “Louis is not the man he appears to be, I’m afraid.” Miss Billings sighed. “He’s done this before with other coworkers.” She tucked the photo in her pocket and stood beside me. I sat dumbfounded by what Miss Billings said, but my mind urged me to keep believing in Louis. ...

The weekend flew by, and before I knew it, Monday had arrived. In spite of the break, I was not well rested. Despite the strong emotions I had for Louis and my sympathy for the flamingoes, Miss Billings still had a significant presence in my life. Our upcoming meeting couldn’t be put off much longer. ...

After Miss Martha finished her story, I stared at her in disbelief, unable to think of anything to say. Louis put his hand on mine and rubbed it. He looked at me and said, “I realize this may be overwhelming for you, Jessica, but please trust us when we say that it’s all true.” After ...

“Several weeks ago,” Miss Martha began, “The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s Ornithology Department contacted me to investigate a suspicious black-market bidding in Baja that sold illegal wild birds from South America and abroad. Wealthy people attended the auctions and bought the birds to keep as pets or accessories without considering the animals ...

The sudden sight of the flamingo caused me to hyperventilate, and I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was lying on the living room sofa. As I tried to get my bearings, the flamingo appeared and inspected my shoes, which someone had removed. Louis sat in a nearby armchair, his face buried in his ...

My head shook in disbelief at the sight of the flamingo; all the while, my brain created plausible scenarios that overtook any rational thought I had before. “No, no, this can’t be real.” While backing away from the pink bird, I whispered, “Miss Martha, Louis, this is a joke, right? This flamingo is an animatronic, ...

“Are these feathers from the flamingo you’re keeping?” I gave a stern look to Miss Martha and Louis while my fingers tightly gripped the pink feathers. My mind attempted to remain calm, but anger rose inside my body. “Please, tell me now.” My voice said through almost gritted teeth, which took myself aback. This anger ...

We all jumped the minute we heard the honk, and our coffee spilled over the floor and sofa. I noticed that Miss Martha and Louis didn’t budge an inch and looked annoyed towards the kitchen door. “What the he…eck, was that?” I exclaimed. In a wise journalist maneuver, I caught myself about to say the ...