When his son Harry starts junior high school, life changes suddenly for Mr. Tillian. Whereas Harry and his friends used to hang out at Mr. Tillian's nut and candy store after school, now they prefer to spend their time playing games or going to a burger place. With more spending money in their pockets, the boys no longer find candy and nuts quite as interesting as they used to.

Mr. Tillian always liked having the company of Harry and his friends in the store after school. So now that they don't come around anymore, he inevitably feels more than a little lonely. A new group of children now hang out at his candy and nut store, but it's not quite the same.

Feeling incredibly lonely, Mr. Tillian buys a pet parrot to keep him company. The parrot, which he names Rocky, proves to be very good company for Mr. Tillian, especially since he's not doing as much business as he used to.

Before long, Mr. Tillian has established such a close bond with the bird that he talks to Rocky more than he does to people, which makes Harry very embarrassed indeed. Whenever he walks past the store, Harry always sees his old man talking to the parrot, and so he just keeps on walking.