when i was younger, like, around ten or so, jenni and i wandered into a pet store. this was a bizarre pet store, that used to be in THE mall, as we called it in huntsville. (i think it’s now the fountain.) we always saw interesting pets in this store, as it was owned by a far eastern couple who filled it with snakes, lizards, and tons of fish.

fish. ::shudder:: FISH.

see, one day, jenni and i wandered back to the fish section. and there, in with these most hauntingly beautiful colorful angel-like fish, was this one VERY animated fish. he seemed to be dancing. i started to point him out to jenni, when she said, “ooh, look sarah.. that one is dead.”

dead he was. he had died while being trapped in the filter, so the influx and outflow of waters was making his rotting skeleton jolt back and forth as if he was practicing the polka.

jenni, to this day, still vaguely remembers it. i, however, have an extreme aversion to fish because of it.

i told you that story to tell you this story.

bryan has fish. a 20 gallon aquarium filled with african cichlids, to be precise. i HATE fish, though.. and at the time, his aquarium was in the bedroom. i really had a hard time sleeping (or doing anything else) in there because of the fish.

he took that into consideration and moved the tank out into the living room, where it became a seperator for the living room and kitchen. but i still eyed the fish. he noticed that, too.

so one day, when we were “taking a break”, he asked me to come over and see the new fish. he had bought three baby cichlids, one of which was ITTY BITTY and bright orange. “he reminded me of your hair,” he said, “so i had to get him. they didn’t really want to sell him, but i had to have him.” we named him jojo, like the littlest who in whoville.

i watched these new fish grow and began to become invested in them. i gave them all names, even the old ones, and began to learn their personalities. it became a thing with us.. a sort of “days of our lives” underwater.

on my birthday, i stopped at bryan’s house before the 9/3 lunch to feed all of the animals. i was sprinkling food in the tank and noticed that one fish, “dory”, was REALLY hungry. i mean, he was RIGHT UP at the top. so, i thought, i should sprinkle more food right on top of him. then (DUR, sarah) i noticed that he wasn’t eating. or blinking. or moving. or breathing.

i immediately put down the food and grabbed my shoes, purse, and keys and left the house. i called bryan’s classroom, but some unruly child answered the phone. “where’s mr. comer?” i asked. “i need to speak to mr. comer now.”

the girl was unrelenting. “he’s in the theatre, ma’am.” (i stopped and marveled at how old i now was.)

“THEN GO GET HIM.” of course, when he finally got the phone and i told him very emphatically that THERE IS A DEAD FISH IN YOUR HOUSE, he didn’t seem nearly as concerned as i was. “jo jo is swimming in a tank with a dead fish,” i said. again, he didn’t seem moved. he said i could go scoop dory out and flush him. i said there was no way in hell i was going back in that house. (i was calling him from my parked car, as if i needed that twenty feet to save me from this lifeless fish.)

anyway, i told you that story to tell you this story..

yesterday, bryan knew i was upset about where i was SUPPOSED to be yesterday, so he took me out to lunch. we went and had a marvelous cheeseburger at (ra’s favorite) cheeburger, cheeburger. to walk off some of the fullness afterwards, we wandered over to petco.

you know he loves when he will scout out the fish aisle and figure out which tanks it’s safe for you to look in without you even realizing it.