Paulie or Cecilia?

This is a contest entry for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  (as a part of the Writer's League Challenge) using the following prompt:

Write a story that includes this line from a Simon and Garfunkel song: "I am a rock. I am an island."

*Author's Note- In this story I threw in some Simon & Garfunkel song titles...see if you can find them! (List below)

300 words

~**~**~**~**~

         “I am a rock. I am an island. I’ve built walls. . .”

         Joe glared at Paulie, the brightly colored parrot that resided in his living room, who had been singing for the past fifteen minutes. He loved the talking bird, he really did. It was just that…well, sometimes Paulie got on his nerves. As much as he liked the parrot (and Simon and Garfunkel, of course), he also liked the sound of silence. Silence was somewhat of a little-known luxury in the house Joe shared with his wife, Cecilia. Living in their house with Paulie was similar to living at the zoo.

         “Joe, that stupid bird is driving me crazy!” His wife exclaimed, storming in the living room.

         Truth be told, Paulie was driving Joe crazy, too. There was only so much Simon and Garfunkel a man could handle. However, he’d never admit this to his wife.

         “Cecilia, Paulie is like a brother to me,” Joe explained.

         “And I’m, oh, I don’t know…your wife, maybe?” Cecilia snapped.

         “Cecilia, what are you trying to say?” Joe asked in bewilderment.

         “I can’t live like this any longer, Joe. You pay more attention to that bird than me. So take your pick. It’s me or Paulie.”

         Joe reached out to touch his wife. “Cecilia, don’t be like this. Try to understand. Paulie and I go way back. We’re old friends.”

         Cecilia took a step back. “Believe me, I understand perfectly. I’m no longer Mrs. Robinson. Bye-bye, love.”

         Joe didn’t even try to stop her. She was too high-maintenance for him, anyway. And at least when Paulie sang, he sounded good.

         However, after a week of fixing his own dinner, cleaning the house, and paying for gas, Joe was beginning to regret his decision. Maybe he should have just bought a sparrow instead.

~**~**~**~**~

Song titles:

The Sound of Silence
At the Zoo
Old Friends
Sparrow
Cecilia
Mrs. Robinson
Bye, bye love