As expected, Miss Martha’s living room had pink décor, though it was subtler than I had thought. The cream-colored walls were lined with photos and paintings of birds. They ranged from common backyard birds and city dwellers like pigeons and cardinals, to exotic species such as toucans, macaw parrots, and flamingos. Some of those photos had Miss Martha alongside a younger Louis.

“I’m a retired ornithologist,” she explained, “My research took me to various locations around the world, like Brazil and New Zealand. Whenever it was Louis’ spring or summer break from school, I sometimes took him along with me. That’s where he found his passion for photography. He always fiddled with the cameras and practiced making good shots. Ironically, he smiled with his mouth closed since he had braces.”

“Mom, I don’t find that topic interesting to talk about.” Louis blushed.

“Nonsense, Lou-Lou, we’ve all had our awkward teen fazes. I had one that led to my career as an ornithologist. In the seventies, while in middle school, I tried different accessories popular back then. One morning, I wore a plaid newscap to school. I realized people staring at me. Initially, I believed they were impressed, but then I heard them snicker behind me.”

“In homeroom, the teacher told me to inspect my hat in the restroom. To my horror, a large bird dropping was splattered on the top of it! It must’ve happened on my walk to school. I washed it off. But then I noticed a feather stuck to my hat, only it didn’t look to be from a gray pigeon. The feather was colored black with yellow at the base. For the rest of the day, I forgot my embarrassment of my soiled cap and remained preoccupied with the feather.”

“When I went to the library for a book report, I noticed a book in the Science and Nature section titled Feathered Birds of the World. It featured birds and feathers, and one of them matched mine. I borrowed the book and saw my feather belonged to an American Goldfinch, a beautiful bird common in L. A. I read all about its history, habitat, and everything else.”

“That awkward day helped me realize a wonderful interest in birds. I wanted to learn everything. Every spare moment I had, I read about birds. Sometimes, I saved money to take the bus to the local zoo to explore all the birds housed there. If it weren’t for the zoo, the American Goldfinch would have been my favorite bird, but that changed when I saw the flamingos.”