Iberian Bird

You’re probably wondering, ‘who on earth is this Iberian Bird?’ Well, I wonder the same thing all the time. Maybe I ought to give you a bit of history to give you some kind of idea.
I’m 32 years old and I live in Southern Europe – the same place I have resided since upping sticks with my family some 22 years ago. Although I always described myself as a ‘Yorkshire Lass’, having only been ten years old when I left, I have now succumbed to my surroundings and call myself ‘European’, or in other terms, an Iberian Bird. And no, I’m not quite on the endangered species list. Well... not yet anyway.
Although I have to admit I do feel that I might just be a dying breed. You see, I’m a married woman. Not just that... but I’m a happily married woman. I’m not saying that there are few happily married women out there. No not at all. It’s just that I married my ‘childhood’ sweetheart and I intend to be married to him to the end of time. These days there aren’t THAT many couples who have been together since they were kids and are still, to this day, as happy now as they were then – or more so, in my case.
In this day and age, too many people succumb to divorce. Although expensive, it’s the easy way out. No one wants to fight for what they’ve got anymore. They forget why they got together in the first place: love. Love conquers all, remember? No? Well... perhaps you ought to think about that before jumping lock, stock into the open arms of divorce. Fight for what you’ve got... not with each other.
I’ve kind of gone off on a tangent, haven’t I? Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Me... the Iberian Bird. At ten years old moving from the confines of cold, wet, dreary northern England to the hot summers of Iberia did come as a bit of a shock, to say the least. Admittedly though, it didn’t take too long to settle in. Welcomed with open arms by the locals, we had found ourselves a pleasant little pocket in the country with a swimming pool and ample space for us three siblings to not get in each other’s way.
The Good Life continued for a few years until the tragic death of our beloved mum. Losing a parent at any age is overwhelmingly heartbreaking, but friends told us that life had to go on, no matter what. Dad continued his role as our ‘rock’, cooking, cleaning, taking care of us in every way he could. We missed mum terribly but refused to let the tragedy break us. We had always been a close family and this would never change.
As the years went by and we grew into fine young adult specimens (ahem) our lives took us in different directions. My elder sister and younger brother had both returned to Yorkshire, while I remained behind, fulfilling my dream of further education. I had always imagined I would become a professional. A professional what, I wasn’t actually sure, but I did a couple of A’levels with the intention of going to University in England. I hadn’t thought for a second that love would prevent me from doing so. And so it was that after completing my A’levels, I couldn’t possibly have left my soul mate behind so I decided to stay.
Having lived here for 22 years, I am the envy of all my old friends and family. I have been very lucky but life here isn’t all a bed of roses. But that is another story altogether.