Andrew was on his deathbed...

According to my mom, two weeks ago, Andrew, my pet betta fish, was close to death. I was at school still while my fish were already at home. My parents were left to feed them. I said to the parents weary of changing water and cleaning tanks, "All you have to do is feed them!" My mom insisted on using tweezers to drop in the amount of blood worms for the fishies. She said, "UGH, eww, I'm not touching those, it's gross!"

So, I was on the phone with my mom two weeks ago while I was at school, and she said that Andrew didn't look so good. She said he won't eat, but spit out his food. She said he had no color to him and that he would just lie on his tummy on the gravel all day. His fins were clamped tight to him, she said he looked like a little spear, an oil slicked little "shoootthh" and made a motion with her fingers like a swift pinching motion. She said, "I don't know Ange, I don't know if he'll make it." She also said that she tried talking to him. I laughed, because I can't imagine what my mom would say to a fish. She always talks about how she can't imagine having fish for pets, since she had always fished for lunch and dinner with her brothers and sister when she was little. So, my mom was at home, talking to a half dead fish.

When I came home finally, last Friday afternoon, Andrew did look pretty blassblass and pastey. But then, a miracle happened [A Christmas Miiiiiirical!]. I put my finger up to the glass and, as usual, Andrew swam up to it and kissed my finger with this little fishy mouth and flared at me with his fishy gills. There, all his fins fanned out and he swam circles all around the tank. My mom said, "Oh my goodness!!!" She insisted that he was seriously about to *cough* *cough* and X X. But, no, he was quite alive, and at the sight of my fingertip, he rejoyced and yay! living again!

I tell this because non-stop since last Friday when Andrew started tap dancing off his deathbed, my mom has talked about Andrew coming back to life. At least twice or thrice a day does she bring it up. I admited today that it is a little funny, that a fish seemed to recognize its owner so much as to stop pouting suddenly. Dogs and cats, and I bet even birds do that, but I would never imagine fish. So, here's to my mom, for feeding Andrew and talking to him (which she still does now, she yells "Hi Andrew!" while crouching down at his tank.)

And yes, fish do have feelings! He missed me, and I have to say, I missed him too during that week I was at school without him. Now, here we all are, to celebrate Xmas together, me, the fam, the dogs and cat, and the fish...