Free Sparrow Migrations by Cari Noga Page A

wants to know more about that, about how it affected the geese, how the geese affected it. I don’t know much about aviation, but I called a friend who works at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. He’s probably not the guy, either, to be honest. But he could refer you to someone at a place with more modern aircraft. Maybe on an air base.”
    “An air base?” Sam echoed in disbelief. “Are you kidding?”
    “You’re doing all that for Robby? Why?” Linda said simultaneously, her eyes shining with fledgling hope.
    Felk shifted in his seat, regarding them. He started to reply when Linda glimpsed Robby bearing a wobbly tray in her peripheral vision. She turned, holding her breath. The unfamiliar cafeteria was a sensory minefield.
    Teetering with an unbalanced load of notebook, doughnut, and chocolate milk, Robby stared at the red plastic rectangle as if it were a map back to their table when the metal leg of a stray chair thwarted him. Tray, milk, doughnut, and book clattered to the tile floor, turning heads from all corners.
    Sam touched his forehead to his palm, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Robby snatched the notebook away from the brown stream of the milk, then sat right down on the floor, backing away. Clucking in dismay, Linda leaped to assist. Felk followed her, but brushed past them to the cashier, who nodded and spoke into a radio.
    Felk returned to the spilled milk and pointed Robby back toward the cafeteria line. He removed the wad of napkins Linda was swabbing the brown puddle with and ushered her back to their table.
    “I’m so sorry. Crowded places are so challenging for him. I’m so sorry.”
    “Please. It was an accident. The custodians will take care of it.” He dropped the napkins into a trash can. “Now where were we?” He sat back down heavily.
    “The air base,” Sam said skeptically. “I’m not seeing the point of that.”
    Felk looked surprised. “Why, it would be a place for Robby to learn about planes, of course.”
    “Of course.” Sam repeated, heavy on the sarcasm. “Robby has significant auditory sensitivities. You must have noticed the headphones. I can’t think of a worse place for him.”
    “Sam, let’s just hear him out, for heaven’s sake!” Linda said.
    “Mr. Palmer, I’m not telling you what to do with your son,” Felk said. “I’m just offering options. Robby’s got an instinct for birds and their behavior. I should know. I’ve spent my professional career with some of the most illustrious ornithologists in the field. I am one of the most illustrious. In my opinion, it would be criminal not to indulge that interest.”
    “Just options, huh?” Sam whispered to Linda, as Robby returned with a second tray.
    Felk stood up. “I’ve given Robby my card. You still have it, right, son?”
    Robby nodded.
    “And I’ve got Robby’s e-mail. I’ll be in touch.” Felk nodded at them both, then held out his hand to Robby. “Robby, it was a privilege to meet you. I expect to be seeing you in the future. Check out those websites I gave you, and the reference books. Sibley’s guides are the best. See if you can find a local Audubon club. Just keep up with the birds and it’ll all work out fine.”
    “OK.” Robby shook his hand, his brown eyes gazing straight up into Felk’s blue ones.
    Witnessing that eye contact, Linda vowed to do whatever it took to nurture her son’s interest, and pretended she didn’t hear Sam muttering they should have skipped the sightseeing cruise and gone to the Empire State Building instead.

    Richard had meetings at church that evening, so Brett made Western omelettes for herself and Amanda. The phone rang just as they were finishing. Amanda’s friend Abby was so excited Brett could hear her, too.
    “It went great. Mrs. Hamilton said my voice was one of the best in the choir, and she asked me to rehearse ‘You’re the One that I Want’ tonight and perform it when they audition the leads tomorrow! I could have died, I