Heart Breaker: Broken Wing

From the moment Zoey was born, he was a heart breaker. He was a beautiful baby who everyone fell in love with immediately. But, Zoey would not acknowledge that love. Perhaps he just could not respond to it and thus, he distanced himself from everyone, right from the moment of birth.

“There are those among us who cannot accept love from others. We don’t always know why,” their doctor said. “They cannot give love to others, either.”

Zoey’s parents waited, only to find he did not babble like normal babies; nor did he use single words, or later on, two word phrases. Zoey’s parents and siblings were heartbroken not understanding what they did wrong before he was born.

“It may be autism,” one pediatrician suggested. “Sometimes, there is just too much pain,” he said. “The child internalizes that pain and cannot get past it. It hurts too much.”

Zoey had gone through a difficult birth. Were there other genetic or environmental factors involved? No one knew for sure. Alcohol, drugs and nicotine were not part of their normal family lifestyle.  

Even at five years of age Zoey, still distanced himself.

“Have you tried pet therapy?” a teacher asked.

“What kind of pet?” they wondered. No one seemed to have any answers.

Early one morning, Zoe walked out into the front yard. A baby robin had fallen out of its nest. As Zoey picked it up, it squirmed in pain. Its wing was broken. 

Zoey’s mother stood there amazed, as he brought it close to his face. Big tears welled up in his eyes. This was the most emotion he had ever shown for anything.

Somehow, Zoey instinctively knew what to do. Where he learned to splint a baby robin’s wing, no one knew, but that is exactly what he did using a branch and a shoelace. He picked handfuls of twigs and grass to build a nest. He spent hours looking for fish worms for it. He built a birdbath and played with the baby robin, splashing it gently with water, day after day. 

Then came the day when the baby robin was ready to fly.

“Bye, little birdie,” said Zoey.

“Is he an autistic savant?” his pediatrician asked, later.

“I only know he is a heart breaker,” replied his mother.