“BABY,”; squawked my pet parrot, Tiki, as I walked past his cage.
“Baby, baby.”;
One-year-old Tiki was a prolific talker after my boyfriend of more than two years, Gavin, 25, and I spent time training him, dishing out honey-coated seeds every time he managed to say a word.
Tiki mostly mimicked us and would constantly repeat phrases like “night, night”; and “I love you”;.
But we never said “baby”; to one another, so I was flummoxed... and more than a little worried.
As Tiki kept repeating it, my concerns grew. I asked Gavin what he thought it meant, but he just said it was weird and he didn’t know. He even claimed Tiki hadn’t done it in front of him.
Gavin and I met in 2019 when I served him at the bar where I was working to fund my University of Literature studies.
I heard him tell another punter I was “beautiful”; before he turned his attention to me.
He kept coming back to the pub and asking for my number, but I was reluctant to hand it over so added him on instead.
He seemed sincere, so eventually, on his fourth visit, I passed it over. I didn’t fancy him initially, but his persistence paid off.
A couple of days later, he contacted me and after a month we were an item.
“I really like him,”; I told my friends, who all seemed happy for me.
The only issue was that sometimes Gavin could be weirdly protective over his phone. But it didn’t bother me – I figured it was just one of those things. Apart from that, he never gave me a reason to be suspicious of him.
In 2020 after eight months of , we moved in together into private accommodation in Bristol.
I loved our two-bed flat and, now in my third year at university, was excited for the future. I saw him as my life partner. All my friends and family liked him, too.
“There’s just one thing missing,”; I told him as we set up home together. “A pet.”;
Tiki has just randomly started saying ‘babe’ and ‘baby’. It feels shady
Kay Jaina
I loved the thought of coming home to our own little ball of fur and suggested to Gavin that we get a cat.
“Ooh no, I’m a dog person, not a cat person,”; he said.
But I was out much of the day and Gavin was working in construction, so it wasn’t practical for us to get a pet which needed so much care.
Eventually we settled on parrots. Some people might think it bizarre, but Gavin told me that they are affectionate, friendly creatures and not as high maintenance as a dog.
Gavin was desperate to teach one to chat and at the local bird shelter we spotted a pair of parakeets – small, slender parrots – who we named Kiwi and Tiki.
Gavin was amazing with them and loved to train them.
After about eight months they could say “night night”; and “I love you”;.
Gavin had them out of their cage performing acrobatics, too.
But they could only squawk words we’d taught them, so when Tiki suddenly started saying “baby”; I was really suspicious and as the seed of doubt took root.
Eventually, I shared my concerns with my best friend.
“Tiki has just randomly started saying ‘babe’ and ‘baby’. It feels shady,”; I told her.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve got this gut instinct that something is up. I can’t explain it.”;
What’s more, Gavin was clinging ever tighter to his phone. Eventually,
I couldn’t take any more and asked him what he was doing and who he was messaging.
I felt like I was in a film as I crept upstairs and heard rattling around coming from our bedroom
Kay Jaina
He denied anything was going on, but we argued and I felt a distance grow between us, which worried me.
In a bid to get us back on track, I suggested a Halloween party.
I set up spooky mood lighting and draped decorative cobwebs and spiders around the house as our guests arrived.
I hoped it would do Gavin and I some good to let our hair down, but when I noticed him checking out one of our guests, I felt a knot of jealousy tighten inside me.
I told myself I was being silly. The girl was three years younger than me and Gavin would never do anything under my nose.
So I let it go and we moved on.
I hoped that Gavin and I would get back on track, but a while later I felt unwell at the bar where I worked to fund my studies and asked if I could finish my shift early.
As soon as I came through the door, I noticed a pair of women’s shoes I didn’t recognise in the hall and the nervous butterflies in my stomach returned with a vengeance.
I felt like I was in a film as I crept upstairs and heard rattling around coming from our bedroom.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and found Gavin in bed with the girl from the Halloween house party.
I froze in horror. They’d been snuggled up watching TV, but now, faced with me standing in the doorway, they sprang up.
FROZE IN HORROR
I clocked Gavin wearing only his vest while the girl was naked and protecting her modesty with the blanket from our bed.
I was so shocked, I burst into tears. Gavin didn’t try to lie – how could he, with the evidence right there in front of me?
The girl quickly got dressed and ran off. Gavin begged me to let him explain, but I didn’t want to hear it.
I arranged for my cousin to pick me up and went to her house, in tears.
Things between me and Gavin were over, but it was a week before I could bring myself to face him.
There, he admitted he’d been cheating with her for some time.
“The parrots are coming with me,”; I said, and Gavin didn’t fight it.
My beloved Kiwi and Tiki were great company while I was getting over him.
Since then I’ve moved on and am happy with my life. I’ve even met someone else.
Sadly, Tiki has since passed away, but I’m thinking of getting another parrot as you should keep them in pairs.
I’m so grateful to Tiki for helping to expose Gavin’s true colours.
Gavin confirmed the story and that they had two parrots.
