Last Wednesday, the alarm went off at 5:30, just like it does every morning. I crawled out of bed and wandered over to the fish tank.
"Good morning, guys. Are we ready for breakfast?"
Yes, I talk to my fish.
I sprinkled the daily dose of fish food into the tank. Our three fish, Momo, Momo & Momo are usually waiting for me in the corner of the tank. This time, there were only 2 Momos.
"Okay, guy. Where are you?" I looked behind the plants and found him near the fake corral reef, floating sideways at the bottom of the tank.
"Well, shit."
I grabbed the net and dutifully scooped him out of the tank and gave him a burial at sea.
I didn't want to send Matthew to school all sad, so I waited all day to tell him. "Matthew, I have to tell you something important. Momo died this morning."
"Which one? The brown one?"
"No, the one with the white belly."
"But, that was my favorite one!" And he broke down in tears, wailing a heartbreaking cry that comes straight from the gut. "I want to go home and see him."
Well, shit.
"Matthew, he's already gone. He's in the lake because fish don't belong in the ground. They belong in the water. We'll go out to the lake and say goodbye. Okay?"
So, I drove out to the lake, which is covered in ice. He started wailing again "Goodbye, Momo. I love you." He made my heart hurt. "I want another fish just like Momo. Maybe we can get his grandson. I really miss Momo."
When we got to the pet store, Matthew scoured the fish tanks looking for the perfect one. There were plenty of fish that resembled Momo. But, he had to fall in love with one of the ugliest looking fish I've ever seen in my life.
Welcome Poofy, the Bubble Eye Goldfish. He definitely has ... character.
2 comments:
Sorry about your loss. Glad you were able to find a new one that Matthew likes.
That is really sad. Sorry. But, I have to admit I was laughing that they are all named Momo. And then there's Poofy who is...special in his own way.
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