It was a lovely but
somewhat lonely, spring day. September 26th 1993. What a wonderful day this
was to be. A tiny 500 gram, red-necked wallaby came into my life, my care. I
named her Cricket. Suddenly I was a new mother all over again. Formula, bottles,
broken sleep, but I loved every minute of it. Cricket became my baby daughter.
Her soft brown eyes always told me it was a relationship which would not be
"till death do us part", only until she was strong enough to be free
and return to her home in the bush. I was so proud as she gained weight and
became more independant. Our daily walks through the scrub gradually became
marathon games of hide and seek. She bloomed like a flower.
Finally the big day
arrived when she gave up the security of her pouch. That same day another wallaby
joined our family. Another red-neck named Rocket. Rocket was as handsome as
Cricket was beautiful and it was love at first sight. I'd always warned her
about the good looking ones and he was no exception. A lad with a mission and
to my horror Cricket was a willing partner. I soon learned the hard way I had
to grin and bear it and accept nature. I realized she was a big girl now although
I did expect her to have a little self respect.
All this happened three
months ago and Cricket and Rocket are now free to come and go as they please.
They are completely inseparable. Where one goes the other follows. They spend
romantic nights in the bush and sleepy days resting in the shade of the tank.
I'm still very much the proud mother whose life has been enriched by these gentle,
furry, little creatures. I hope there will be many more Cricket's and Rocket's
and to me each one will be a link in a never ending chain of love.
With permission
Author: Matthew J Forno ©