well, this past friday it happened.
i have been predicting it for weeks.
i have insight, you know.
we feed them and care for them
and watch them play tag…(my mom
calls it killing off the weak)
i knew it was coming.
one of our fish died.
sniffle
sniffle
he was sort of floundering and
going in and out of consciousness
all morning. i was unable to watch…
so painful.
i went out to heidi’s and when
i came home there he was,
sucked to the water filter…
dead
lifeless
pale
i couldn’t touch it, but i shouldn’t
leave it in the tank. how would
you like to swim along next to your
belly-up fish pal?
so i had clint do it.
he soberly scooped him up in the
green net. we dug a hole in the
ground next to the house and put
him in. i refused to flush him.
that’s just too cruel.
then as we paused for a moment
of silence clint asked me his name.
“i don’t know!” i said.
that’s really the worst part
of it all. he died and i didn’t even
know his name!!!
you see, we were fish-sitting for some
girls and they sort of never came
back for the fish. they were abandoned,
so we love them as if they were our
own. except for the whole name thing.
julie was sad that she missed the burial,
so we are contemplating having a memorial
service. we had a very funny conversation
about possibly exhuming it’s body and then
cremating it.
“excuse me, can you cremate this for us?”
“yes, ma’am, that will be $5,000″
“what??!! but it’s so small”
“yes, but we still have to turn the oven on.”
“is it cheaper to buy a casket?”
“yes, $3,500, but they only come in one
size.”
“will you include the packing peanuts?”
that’s him in the top right hand corner.
he was a good fish.
we miss you…..Sir.
