A Whistle, a Catcall, and a Restroom Encounter.

My parrot, Captain Turkey, tends to go everywhere with me, including shopping at stores like Ross Dress for Less.

He sits on my shoulder and sings while I sort through the beautiful chaos that is Ross. He loves greeting everyone we pass with a cheerful "Hello," often followed by a very loud catcall.

One day, as I was mid-aisle sorting through the summer tanks and listening to Captain Turkey entertain a toddler in the next aisle, I realized I had to use the restroom.

The restroom, of course, was all the way at the back of the store, and getting there with a tiny, talking, armless T-rex on my shoulder was no quick task. I was looking at anywhere from a 5-45 minute journey. After a few brief conversations along the way, we finally made it.

I walked into the restroom, casually did the 'Is anyone else in here' maneuver, and chose my stall. Wanting to avoid the fun of having a parrot whistling directly into my ear, I placed Captain Turkey on top of the stall door.

As I got situated, I noticed Captain Turkey shimmying along the door toward the stall next to me. Since it seemed empty, I didn't worry—until he peeked over and tilted his head.

That's when I heard, "Why, hello up there!"

Captain Turkey immediately responded with his signature "Hello!" followed by his famous catcall.

The laughter from the woman in the next stall, Captain Turkey (yes, he laughs too), and myself was immediate and uncontrollable. Through my laughter, I managed to say, "I'm so sorry! I didn't think anyone else was in here." The woman, who we'll call Sharon, could barely manage, "That's okay!" between laughs.

As we exited the bathroom, Sharon was so excited to meet Captain Turkey that she began calling for her husband, Mike, to come over.

I'm fairly certain Sharon will be telling the story of the time she was catcalled by a parrot in a Ross restroom for many years to come.