Two Ducks Showed Up At My Door

Summary

The author describes an unusual morning where two mallard ducks appeared at their front door, followed by the arrival of an international guest whose travel plans were significantly disrupted.

Abstract

The narrative unfolds in a suburban townhome located near a busy road and interstate, with a picturesque pond and a territorial dispute between Canadian geese and mallard ducks in the back. The author had been anticipating the arrival of a friend from Italy, who encountered numerous flight delays and a lost phone, leading to sporadic communication. The friend's journey across the US and back to the Northeast was only revealed upon his late morning arrival. Earlier that day, the author was interrupted by the unexpected sight of two mallard ducks at their front door, seemingly attempting to gain entry. This curious event was shortly followed by a call from the overseas friend, now landed at the airport. The rationalization from the basement dwellers attributed the ducks' presence to a simple search for the pond, highlighting the tendency for over-analysis.

Opinions

The author seems to find humor in the ducks' attempt to enter the house, as well as in the over-analysis provided by the "rational millennials."
There is a sense of concern and anticipation regarding the international guest's delayed and chaotic

And announced the arrival of an international guest

I live in a townhome in a scenic suburban neighborhood in the Northeast off a busy road, which is off a busy interstate. Out the backdoor is a small pond for rainwater overflow surrounded by a small thicket of trees.

The front of our townhome building looks like many attached housing communities, with individual driveways connected by sidewalks, amidst a slew of front doors.

In the back, a few Canadian geese and a pair of mallard ducks are engaged in an ongoing territorial dispute over rights to the pond. We hear them screeching at one another sometimes.

Meanwhile….

this week we had been expecting a visitor from Italy who missed a connecting flight in Germany. He also had cell phone issues, so we received random calls on his status whenever he could borrow a stranger’s phone.

Turns out the airline had flown him across the continental United States and back to the Northeast to compensate for his missed flight out of Germany. At least he didn’t have to find a hotel waiting for another flight. He spent about 14 extra hours in flight instead.

We had no idea of the trajectory of this chaotic trip until he arrived at our house late this morning and told us all about it. We had initially expected him last night.

But earlier…..

this morning around 7 a.m., I was working at my desk upstairs, wondering when the heck our friend would show up at the airport and wondering how we would know as I needed to pick him up.

I became distracted by a pair of …..ducks…..who showed up at our front door. I thought I was imagining things through the long front door window. One male and one female mallard stood on the doormat quacking loudly, as if requesting entrance, wiping the mud off their webbed feet.

By the time my senses focused and I stumbled down the stairs to throw open the door, they were hightailing it, literally, down the short driveway, and then down the sidewalk.

Two ducks waddling down the sidewalk, quacking, as ducks will do.

And immediately thereafter our friend from overseas called. He had just landed at the airport.

“The ducks were simply trying to find the pond,” said the rational millennials, percolating up from the basement, as I made coffee.