I pass by the same park every day before work. I used to take a detour through the park and feed the ducks my extra bread from breakfast, and every day at the same time sat an old lady. She was an elegant lady. Always dressed in a cream dress with an orange and blue broach. She would knit and sew while watching the birds feast on the seed she brought every day. I became familiar with this routine, became familiar with the sound of the birds chirping and the old lady carrying on her hobbies. One day, I decided I would like to give back to the old lady. I was thankful that she was always there, and she even began to remind me of my mother, who had passed away a few years back. My mom always had birdhouses and feeders around her house, and when I asked her why, she would just tell me to listen, listen to the song each bird sang. For this comfort the old lady gave me, I bought her a bag of seeds and left it on the park bench she sat on every day. The next few days, I watched the old lady become more generous with her feedings, and she even hand fed a few blue jays and cardinals. She would give seed by the handful, looking at the birds with love as if each was her child. She was the only lady that I had ever seen a wild bird nuzzling. Usually these birds are timid and skeptical, but with this old lady they became friendly and comfortable. I remember thinking, “this woman must be magic.” She was something so warm and memorable that I even watched her each day. I smiled and continued my walk. The next day I walked to work and did not see the lady. All I saw was two blue jays and a robin. A week passed, each day growing colder, and I asked a park officer dressed in blue if he knew of the old lady. He told me her name was Rosana Doffman. Her husband had passed away a few years back from illness. She believed the birds were the spirit of her husband. Sadly, the old lady has passed. She died in her sleep at her home.
I asked the officer how he knew this.
“She was my mother,” he said.
I heard the song of a bird that is not common in this park — the robin. I turned my head to see a robin perched on the bench where the old lady, Rosana, used to feed and hum with the birds. I turned to greet the officer once more but just saw a young blue jay sweeping above. The small bird landed next to the robin a moment later. Both the robin and the blue jay flew off, side by side, intertwining as if dancing to the song of the songbirds.
Leah Hutchinson is currently dual-enrolled at the Penn State Fayette/Eberly campus. In the fall, she will be a nursing student with an expected graduation year of 2026. She enjoys painting, writing, kayaking, riding ATVS and participating in performing arts. She was born in Palmer, AK, and moved to PA in the third grade. She plans to go into midwifery and stay active in the community and theater.