Never a dull moment in the TK household.
Never.
We backtrack slightly. When I was in college, I had a beautiful red betta named Obi Wan. He died on my birthday. The pet store felt so badly, they wanted to replace him. I said no. I didn't want a replacement, I wanted Obi Wan.
Yes, I've always had an inner five year old, what?
They insisted.
They gave me a blue betta which I name Anakin. And that sucker lived just to spite me, I swear it. Behold, the power of the dark side.
So suffice it to say when driving home with my son one day in the car, upon hearing these fateful words, "Mama...I want a fish," I felt some amount of trepidation and a little excitement.
We live in a pet free apartment complex, but you're allowed to have fish. That's the only type of pet they'll allow here. Aquatic.
Quite fitting for this pirate family.
So I did my research. Took books out from the library, and it just so happened one of my neighbors was getting rid of a one gallon tank. Score: a free tank! I went to
Walmart to purchase gravel, fake plants, I wanted a nice little home for our new friend.
I ended up calling the pet store before I set up the tank because the filter and tubing looked old to me. We went in and Jonathan (wonderful, wonderful Jonathan) helped us. He was great. I admitted I knew nothing. He told me everything I needed to know to get the tank set up, helped me pick out new tubing, water conditioner, and new filters, and sent me home with the proper instructions for getting our tank ready for our new as yet to be picked fish.
Now Jonathan, who was never condescending, just very informative, which I heartily appreciated, gave us a couple of options for some hearty, hopefully hard to kill fish.
What can I say, with my track record, I was nervous. I wanted to do absolutely everything right for DS, you know? Optimal fish environment!
Jonathan recommended minnows, guppies, danios, or bettas.
So after letting our tank acclimate for 48 hours we went back to see Jonathan at the pet store and pick out a fish.
DS looked at the minnows and danios and said no.
The guppies wouldn't be in until tomorrow.
Taking a deep breath I said, DS, "Do you want to go look at the bettas?"
"Yes, Mama."
:::sigh:::
DS picked out a beautiful red beta. I explained to DS that his betta was a boy, and what would he like to name him.
"Otto," he says, "like the fish in the book." At first I thought, they must have read something at preschool that prompted this whole fish thing, but in recently talking to my mother, she thinks that's the name of the fish in One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. It could very well be.
So we pay for Otto, some more supplies I needed and we're on our merry way. Now Otto is in a plastic cup with a snap on lid with a nice little airhole. I can tell it's plastic by feeling it, so as long as DS is careful, I think we'll be fine.
I make the mistake of letting DS carry Otto upstairs.
You can see where this is going right?
I know how klutzy my son is. I know that inherent genetics cause both him and I to have accidents from time to time. But he's four. It's his first pet. I'm thinking he'll be extra careful. I'm thinking he won't succumb to the genetic lot that I've given him. I'm wrong.
Because by the time I get up there, DS is in tears, saying I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry over and over.
And Otto is on the floor of our kitchen. Not in his cup, oh no. That broke in half! There's our new fish laying on the floor of the kitchen!!!!
At which point, I start saying, "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no," over and over again.
DS - "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." :::sniff, sniff, tears dripping:::
TK - "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no..."
I panic. I rip open the net that hasn't be sterilized and do my best to get Otto in there without handling him too much. I manage to get him in the net, place him gently on the kitchen counter and wrench open the lid to the tank.
I then gently place Otto in the tank, still in the net.
No following the directions from the pet store here. No place his cup in the tank to let him acclimate to the temparture, no put some tank water in so he gets used to it, just HELLO OTTO, WELCOME TO THE TK HOUSEHOLD!!!
OMG. Seriously.
If he lives, it'll be funny. So far, he looks fine. He's swimming around, and he ate (DS fed him once I got him calmed down), and he looks okay.
:::sigh:::
Welcome to my life. Never a dull moment.
Now this is trip related. Because we will have to get someone to watch Otto for us when we go away since it'll be for eight days.
See that nice tie-in?
And I do have to say, I'm a bit smitten. He's already swimming up to the side of the tank when I come over just like Obi Wan used to. And he'll follow my fingers on the side of the tank.
I mean, seriously. Who could resist that face?
So a hearty welcome to the newest member of the TK clan.
May he survive us well.
I really want something safe, but I don't relish the thought of a car payment when we have none.
I am not fond of dogs. I think it is because I got bit by the first dog I remember seeing. She needs no toys as she is the only grandchild on my side and the first grandaughter on my dh's side. She too has been talking about a fish. Otto is a very pretty fish.
