for the love of maurice

fish.

such complicated emotional little creatures.

from the tips of their puckered lips to the ends of their sweet little tails, they make me happy.

i brought my 6 fish home in two plastic water filled bags from the pet store.

wait. i have to tell you about the pet store.

ok so. it was back when it was still hot out and i left work early and drove into town with mom and some of the kids (they needed a thrill). i had been there before to buy fish with my friend for her fish tank (which now that i think of it, i actually have that tank now. ha).

her fish died, by the way. she was such a bad pet owner.

there was a very fish-wise lady there, and even though she lead me away from the ones i loved right away, im glad i went with what i thought was a drab choice of marine life.

Platys.

small and a little boring compared to the neon tetras i was staring at or the chubby mollies with bulging eyes (omg i thought they were hysterical).

but the fish-wise lady told me that these were hardy. and as a first time aquarium user, i would want the hardiest.

so i think i spent $22 on 6 fish and fish food.

don't look at me like that

back to the water filled plastic bags. i let the bags containing the fish float in the aquarium water for about 20 minutes. needless to say, i was a little excited. a little very excited.

i cut the bags open and released the fish into their new home. decorated with synthetic plants and fake gravel.

then i saw him.

maurice.

ok. i had no idea that i had such an adorable fish in that water filled bag, people. i just thought they were all that long thin type with the black tails. but alas. i "awwwwwwed" for about 5 minutes.

look at his chubbyyyyyy tummy! what a precious little squeegiekins!

immediately i knew i had to name him maurice. no idea why. he just was a maurice.

for some reason. i just haven't named all my fish. just him and Juan Pablo (thats another story). naming pets is hard and i only like to do it if i feel moved to. and when i feel the need, i name them "human" names. trust me, the bond is extra tight if you go with "human" names.

maurice has kept me entertained for hours. we've watched movies together. we're stared at each other. i've spoken to him. hes always pooping in the tank when i get home from work. and he's always the first one to kiss my fingertip in the morning when i dip it into the tank.

they've lived through some pretty rough times. various objects like money, cellphones, toilet paper, and toy cars have been dropped into their home. an entire jar of food flakes have been dumped into the water........nearly killing them all with clogged gills. ive been horrid enough to forget to turn out their light at night causing them to lose their sleep.

but they love me still. and i love them even more. because they can fogive me and move on.

fish, maurice, and juan pablo, i love you. no matter what. and even though i completely set up your home with ten gallons of water and 5 pounds of gravel making you all a whopping 100lbs right on top of a chest i need to get into more than i thought i would, ill always be there for you.

we are family.