The Someday Birds

The family approaches Little Bighorn, but Ludmila doesn’t want to go because she hates war monuments. She finally gives in when Davis begs her. They arrive at the site where a reenactment is about to take place. Charlie feels annoyed when the gets out of the car and notices Davis flirting with a boy her age. Charlie dismisses himself to the restroom to wash his hands. Afterwards, he stands with Ludmila and listens to her complain about how silly reenactments are. Charlie asks her about Bosnia, and she gets upset, telling him that her people were murdered and no one did anything to help them. She storms off, and Charlie notices people looking at her. He confronts them, saying it isn’t “nice to stare” (149).

That night, the family parks at a campsite. Ludmila and Charlie take Tiberius for a walk, and Ludmila tells Charlie about a former park in Sarajevo where many people were shot. Charlie doesn’t know what to say. A prairie chicken flutters past, and Charlie tells Ludmila some facts about how they survive.

In the camper, Charlie and Davis ask Ludmila why she snooped around Dad’s office when she first came to their house. She apologizes, explaining that she was looking for a photo of Amar. Charlie realizes Dad and Amar knew each other in Afghanistan, then he asks Ludmila to tell them her story.

Ludmila explains that she and Amar were close when they were little. When he was 12 and she was nine, they were living in an apartment in Sarajevo. Their lives were happy until their father left home in an old uniform and disappeared for a year. Their mom was pregnant, and they were worried about her having the baby while their father was gone. Meanwhile, bands of thugs came down from the hills and started killing innocent people in the city streets. One day, their grandfather went to join the fighting and was killed. Ludmila stops abruptly, and Charlie reminds her that she survived.

Charlie lies in bed later thinking about Ludmila’s dad and his dad. He remembers the day Dad left for Afghanistan. He urged Charlie to write about birds while he was gone.

Charlie updates his Someday Birds List and calculates the birds he still has to find. Meanwhile, the family drives toward Mount Rushmore. After visiting the site, they go to Wall Drug, a collection of tourist shops and eateries. Inside, Charlie loses his family. He wanders around looking for them and runs into a woman with several parrots. One of the parrots lands on Charlie’s head. The woman says the bird, named Doodie, must like Charlie and agrees to let Charlie hold him. Charlie is surprised that the bird’s funny feet don’t bother him. Afterwards, he races back to the RV and finds his family waiting for him.

Charlie’s family rents a motel room that night. Charlie sleeps poorly and wishes they could get to Dad and Gram soon. In the morning, Ludmila tells them they have time to make a few more stops before they reach Dad and Gram in Virginia. Charlie begs to go to the Mississippi River to find a bald eagle and asks to see the Sanctuary Marsh. His siblings groan again, but Ludmila says they will do their best.

Back on the road, Charlie asks Ludmila more questions about Sarajevo. She warns him that her story isn’t a happy one, but Charlie and Davis insist they want to hear more.

Ludmila continues her story. The worse things got in Sarajevo, the more she and Amar worried about their safety. Because of the shootings and bombings, they spent most of their time hiding in the cellar. Their mother promised Ludmila and Amar that they’d soon escape Sarajevo, but no one believed her.

Ludmila pauses her story when they reach the Mississippi. Charlie looks out the window in search of eagles but doesn’t see any.

In Wisconsin, Ludmila tells the children that she went to college at UW–Madison. She was studying physical therapy because she wanted to join the Red Cross, but she dropped out because the work made her too sad. She changes the subject and tells the children more about the Dells as they drive through.