The Pigeon Man Read online

  Danny couldn’t wait for the school day to end. He wanted to see Feisty and he looked forward to seeing Mike Delaney. After school he walked a different way home to avoid the boys who threatened him earlier that day.

  ***

  Mike was hosing down the bottom of the loft. There were no pigeons in sight when Danny showed up.

  “What happened to the pigeons?” Danny asked as he stepped onto the rooftop.

  “Oh, they’re out practicing.”

  “Practicing?” Danny asked, a confused look on his face.

  “Ah, I see you don’t understand a word I’m sayin’,” Delaney said. He turned off the hose and pointed to the sky. “Look up there.”

  Danny squinted and saw the pigeons flying high overhead in widening circles. Some were so far up he could hardly make them out.

  “Now watch this!” Delaney took a tin can filled with seeds. He held it up and began to shake and rattle it.

  Out of nowhere the pigeons came drifting in, one by one, like a squadron landing on the tarmac. Soon the loft was filled with birds again.

  “They’re gettin’ ready for the race,” the big man said.

  “Race?”

  “Yeah, race, like this.” Delaney tried to look like a runner pumping his good knee up and down and his arms back and forth. It struck Danny as funny to see the big man with the white hair as a track star, but he understood.

  “So, ya think it’s funny, do ya?” he made a serious face.

  Danny looked at him and thought he did something wrong.

  “No, no,” Delaney grinned. “It is funny!” and he let out a loud bellow of a laugh.

  Danny couldn’t but help but smile.

  “Now let me show ya how Feisty is doin’,” Delaney said in his gravelly voice. He led Danny to the nesting block of the loft.

  Danny walked into Feisty’s private enclosure to find him out of the nesting box and sitting leisurely on the shelf. When Mike came close, Danny was surprised to see the bird fly to his outstretched arm.

  “He came right to you!” Danny’s eyes wide with amazement. “How did you do that?”

  “Well, the first thing ya gotta do with pigeons is gain their trust,” Delaney said. “It works the same way with birds as it does with people.”

  “How can I do that?”

  “With Feisty here, it’s simple. Ya put down some seeds and slowly but surely convince him that you’re his friend.” He handed Danny a pan with seeds.

  “Look, he’s coming to me!” Danny couldn’t contain his excitement.

  “You’re gonna be a regular pigeon trainer. Tomorrow we’ll introduce Feisty to the other birds to see how he gets along.”

  “I hope he gets along with them.”

  “Remember,” Mike said. “Anything’s possible if you want it bad enough. One foot in front of the other. And one day at a time”

  ***

  At suppertime, Danny was excited to tell Aunt Shirley and Uncle Max about Feisty.

  “So, tell me, who is this ‘Feisty’ you keep talking about?” Uncle Max said in between bites of the marvelous noodle pudding – kugel – Aunt Shirley made. “Such a strange name for a boy!”

  Danny had a hard time keeping Aunt Shirley’s strudel in his mouth. He was trying so hard not to laugh.

  “It’s good to see you laugh,” Aunt Shirley said. It was the first time she had seen him smile, no less laugh. She was glad he was getting more comfortable in his new home.

  Somehow the day ended well, but tomorrow was another day. And, Danny thought, he would have to face another school day and he put up with those boys. But, like Mr. Mike said, “One foot in front of the other and one day at a time.”

  Chapter 4

  Delaney stood next to a crate of pigeons by the side of his apartment building. It was early morning but still dark enough outside to see the moon and the stars. It looked like it would be a clear day with a nippy bite in the air; a good day for the pigeons to take their long flight, Delaney thought. He rubbed his hands together trying to get the blood circulating.

  Bill Foster was coming by with his pickup truck. Delaney didn’t own a pickup truck. He didn’t even own a car, for that matter. Once a month, Bill would go to Long Island to visit his uncle. And once a month, Delaney needed to let his birds out for their long distance flight. Bill didn’t mind having Delaney go along with him for the ride. Delaney pitched in for the gas money and was good company. The arrangement worked out well for both of them.

  Delaney noticed the headlights of a truck cut through the darkness. It was Bill. He pulled his pickup alongside the curb and got out to help Delaney load the crated birds onto the truck bed. These birds were racing pigeons. Delaney trained them as if they were Olympic athletes. Every day he would let them take short flights from the rooftop loft, and once a month they would go on a long flight. In three weeks the pigeons would be competing in the Regional Race and they needed to train. Delaney had been trying for years to have one of his birds place because a bird that won the race would be considered among the best in the region.

  Bill and Delaney were taking the pigeons to Montauk Point on Long Island; over a hundred miles from where they lived in the Bronx. They would release the birds there. By the time they reached the loft, Delaney would be back at the rooftop waiting to clock them. Their times had to be good for the upcoming Regional Race in Pennsylvania, where Delaney’s pigeons would be racing against the best in the Northeast.

  The two men said little on the long trip from the Bronx to the tip of Long Island. Most of the time, Delaney sat quietly listening to the radio play country-western tunes. He looked out the window and pointed to a flock of Canadian geese. They were flying in a V formation looking much like a squadron of planes.

  “They’re comin’ down a little early this time of year, aren’t they?” Delaney said.

  “Yeah and they’ll be bringin’ the snow down with them,” Bill answered in his heavy New England accent.

  Bill Foster came from a small town in Massachusetts and settled in the Bronx after the war. He was a janitor in the apartment building two blocks from where Mike Delaney lived.

  They were in the same army unit during the war and somehow, by chance, they managed to run into each other again.

  “I got high hopes for Isabelle and Tobey this time,” Bill said. “They’re lookin’ better every time I see them. Maybe Tobey and Isabelle just might have it in them to place this time.”

  Delaney smiled and at the thought and closed his eyes for a short nap, lulled by a Hank Williams tune on the radio. It was going to be a long day.

  ***

  The first time Danny tried the ‘secret’ dah dah dah DAH knock at the rooftop door, no one answered. He tried again. Still no one came to the door. He turned and started down the stairwell, somewhat distraught. He had waited all day to go up the roof to visit Feisty and Delaney. Maybe Delaney was tired of seeing him.

  “Hey!” a booming yelled after him. “Where ya goin’?” Delaney opened the door and stuck his head out.

  “Oh, it’s you!” Danny said somewhat startled but relieved. “Mr. Mike. I thought maybe you were too busy for me.”

  “Too busy for ya?” Delaney said. “Listen here. A man’s gotta stick by his word or,” he paused, “he’s not worth anything.”

  “Not worth anything?” Danny repeated, not quite understanding.

  “Don’t worry. Some day you’ll understand. Put it this way. I’m never goin’ to be that busy. Now come with me. You can help me with the rest of these birds coming in.”

  Mike Delaney reminded Danny of his grandfather in Grodno. He remembered how his Grandpa Isaac taught him all about the horses and barn animals he took care of. Grandpa Isaac knew about horses. And he showed Danny everything he knew.

  “Oh, one other thing,” Delaney said. “From now on…no more ‘Mr. Mike’.”

  “No more Mr. Mike?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Just call me Delaney. Okay?”

  “Delaney? All right th
en,” Danny said awkwardly. “I’ll call you ‘Delaney’.”

  “All right, then. Come with me. I’m going to show you how to take the bands off the birds.” He gently grabbed an incoming pigeon that landed on top of the loft and removed a numbered band from the bird’s leg.

  “Now,” Delaney said releasing the bird into the enclosure. Danny followed him as he walked over to a bench with what looked like a clock on top of it. “We put the bands in this special timer and we see how they did.”

  “And tomorrow,” Delaney continued with a smile. “Tomorrow Feisty’s gonna’ show us how he can fly.”

  All of this was brand new and exciting to Danny. He couldn’t wait to see how Feisty would do.

  ***

  At first, Mike Delaney didn’t have any interest in pigeons or pigeon racing. It was the furthest thing from his mind. What he wanted most when he got back from the war was a job, and to forget. He managed to get a job as a janitor in an apartment building. The second thing was harder to do.

  It turned out that the superintendent of the apartment building raised pigeons on the roof. He asked Delaney if he would mind cleaning the loft for a little extra change. Delaney didn’t mind. After all, a job is a job. And the superintendent was fair enough to hire a wounded veteran.

  Delaney really didn’t know all that much about pigeons. But he found that when he cleaned the loft and he fed them and he heard them call for him in low cooing voices, he forgot about the things he wanted to forget.

  One day the superintendent came up to Delaney while he was cleaning the hallways.

  “I’ve got something I want to tell you.”

  “Something I did wrong, boss?” Delaney felt a little concerned. There weren’t too many people around who would hire a disabled veteran and he needed the job. “I’ll work a little faster if that’s what you need.”

  “No, no,” the superintendent smiled. “You’re doin’ fine. It’s just that me and my family will be moving to California.”

  “California?”

  “Yeah, California. And since you’ve been doing such a good job with my pigeons…,” he hesitated watching Delaney wipe a bead of sweat from his brow. “I was wonderin’ if you’d take care of them for me.”

  The superintendent could see the look of relief in Delaney’s eyes.

  “Oh, sure boss, I can take care of them,” Delaney said. “Actually I’ve grown quite attached to them.”

  “That’ll be wonderful,” the superintendent said, also looking relieved. “Your new boss knows all about this and things will go on just as though I was still here.”

  “Thanks, boss,” Delaney said vigorously shaking the man’s hand. “And…”

  “Yes?”

  “Good luck in California.” Delaney walked away with mixed feelings. He would miss the man who gave him a break.

  Chapter 5

  Danny passed the principals office on his way to his homeroom class and noticed Kenny Wilson sitting outside. He was in trouble again. It seemed that Kenny spent a lot of time there.

  Ken Wilson’s father had left him when he was five years old, so Ken was brought up by his mother, her friends, and their neighbors. His mother was a waitress at the Gun Hill Road Diner and she often left him alone in their small apartment above the bar on DeKalb Avenue. She didn’t want to leave a five year old alone, but she had no choice. When friends or neighbors weren’t there, Ken was left to care for himself. By the time he was ten he had a reputation as a “bad kid”. He was hanging around at the park with boys who were already in trouble with the local police. Sometimes his mother had to pick him up at the police station for shoplifting or vandalism.

  Tommy Vincent also hung around with the hoodlums at the park. But unlike Ken, Tommy Vincent grew up in a household with two parents who gave in to his every whim. His father owned a sporting goods shop and his mother was home to bake cookies and make hot cocoa for him. His father drove a brand new car and his family was one of the first on the block to have a television set. There weren’t too many times that Tommy Vincent didn’t get what he wanted, and he rarely did his homework or cleaned up after himself or made his bed. In other words, he was a spoiled brat.

  Tommy would get bored easily and eventually he found his way to the park where Ken Wilson and the other boys hung out. They would meet by the basketball court and conjure up ways to make trouble.

  ***

  By the time Danny reached his third period class, he saw Ken in his usual spot, the back of the classroom, with his friend Tommy.

  “What are ya lookin’ at? Ya creep,” Tommy called as Danny made his way down the aisle to his seat. Danny tried to ignore him but the words hung on him like an oily film.

  Danny heard Tommy whisper something to Ken before the teacher started the lesson. It was undoubtedly about him. Danny looked forward to the end of the school day for many reasons, but mostly to see Feisty take his first flight.

  ***

  Tobey and Isabelle were the first birds that Delaney raised and trained. They were like his first children. He hand fed them, doted on them, and watched them take their first awkward attempts at flight. He took pride in how they matured into fine racing birds. Someday, others would appreciate how good they were. The regional race was coming up soon and maybe this time, Delaney thought, looking at them like a proud parent. Maybe they would place or, who knows, maybe even win.

  He heard the familiar rapping on the door and knew Danny would be on the other side.

  “Well,” Delaney said as he opened the door. “There ya be. Feisty’s been waitin’ for you.”

  Danny smiled. He was glad to see the big man after a hard day at school. Of course he was glad to see Aunt Shirley and Uncle Max also. He knew they loved him and cared for him but he didn’t feel quite as comfortable as with Delaney.

  “Now,” Delaney said. “Remember those bands we took off the birds yesterday?”

  “Yes, Mr.–”

  “Uh, uh,” Delaney interrupted, shaking his finger. “Remember what we agreed on yesterday? No ‘Mister’. Okay?”

  “Okay, Delaney,” Danny said; having a hard time getting it out. He was taught to always address adults as Mister or Mrs. or Aunt or Uncle. But Delaney was different. If that’s what he wanted, Danny would follow his wishes.

  “So, let’s get goin’,” Delaney said. “The bands are in a shed behind the loft. They’ll be in a tin box on the top shelf.”

  Danny nodded his head and walked behind the loft while Delaney went to get Feisty. He thought he understood most of what Delaney asked him to him. The heavy shed door creaked as he swung it open. The shelves were neatly arranged with bird medications and nesting boxes and tools. A small tin box that once held tea leaves was filled almost to the brim with bands. He took a band from the box. As he put the box back on the shelf he noticed another box. It was a flat box with a red velvet cover. Curiosity got the best of Danny, and he picked it up and removed the cover. When he saw what was there, he put the box in his pocket and took it with him.

  “I got the band, Delaney,” Danny called into the loft.

  Delaney was waiting, expertly holding Feisty, and when he saw Danny he held out Feisty’s leg for the band.

  “Alright, now,” Delaney said. “Take the band. Carefully. Carefully. Slip it over the foot.”

  Danny nervously manipulated the band on Feisty’s leg trying not to frighten him.

  “That’s right!” Delaney shouted. “Now you got it! It’s official. Feisty’s one of us now!”

  “Okay. Now we’re gonna see if he really wants to be one of the flock,” Delaney said, taking a stepladder to a corner of the loft.

  “We open this shutter here, like so.”

  Just as Delaney propped open the shutter, the birds became excited and began to flap their wings. Some flew off their perches, and there was a great clatter of wings and cooing as the pigeons headed for the opening, as if on cue.

  “And Feisty is goin’ with them,” Delaney said. “Let’s see how he does.�
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  Danny stood enthralled as the pigeons flew around him and up in the sky. He watched them fly up beyond the apartment buildings until he could see them no more.

  “Well, it looks like Feisty caught right on,” Delaney said.

  “He caught right on?” Danny said. “I hope he comes back.”

  “He’ll be back,” Delaney said. “He’s a regular racer. He’s got it in his blood.”

  As they both walked back to the loft Danny put his hand in his pocket, remembering the box he put there earlier.

  “Oh,” Danny said, taking the box out. “I found this in the shed.”

  Delaney seemed embarrassed when he saw it. He took it from Danny, gave it a brief glance, and put it in his pocket.

  “It looks like a medal,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, it’s a medal. Nothing important,” Delaney said abruptly. “Now, let’s clean out the coop before the birds get back.”

  Delaney seemed disturbed and Danny regretted taking the box from the shelf. He shouldn’t have bothered something that wasn’t his.

  They waited for a while and Delaney filled a can with pigeon seed and shook it a couple of times. Before long the birds came out of nowhere and headed for the loft. Feisty with them.

  “Looks like Feisty made it okay,” Delaney said closing the last of the pigeons in the loft.

  “He sure did,” Danny said. He was still uneasy having given Delaney the box.

  Danny was glad to see Feisty make it back with the other pigeons and he was excited about it. But he noticed a change in Delaney when he saw the box with the medal in it. Danny decided he wouldn’t ask Delaney about it anymore, so he walked quietly to the rooftop door while Delaney managed the last of the pigeons in the loft.