A beloved member of our family passed away today. This is a picture of our fish, Diamond. We actually have lost four fish from our tank in the past 2 weeks, but Diamond was very special to us...mainly to me. Ray and I have had more fish in our lives than I can recall and some have been more lovable than others. Diamond was by far my favorite. We had him for 3 years.Here is Diamond's story.....
It was the Summer of 2004 and Marley was 4yrs old. It was the last night of the local fireman's carnival. All week long, Marley had been trying to win a fish. She needed one to replace the one that had died a month earlier (the one that we won the year before at the fireman's carnival). She had enjoyed her little pet, "Phishy", and was saddened by his passing. After trying for 6 nights, she had not yet won a fish this year. With tears in her eyes and having spent $20 plus trying to get a fish, we told Marley it was time to go home. Just at that moment, her Uncle Mark walked up to the fish stand. Uncle Mark has a real soft spot in his heart for little girls and he took one more $ from his wallet. Bought one more bucket of balls and to Marley's delight, won her a fish. One she quickly named...."Phishy". She was only 4. That was as creative as she could get.
We took "Phishy #2" home fully expecting him to live up to the standard of most carnival fish and only live a short time in our home. Ray and I took special notice to him as he had some black markings on his body including a very small mustache on his upper lip. We began calling him Adolf given our German heritage, it reminded us of Hitler. Our girls hated this name and also insisted he was a girl and continued to call her Phishy. The debate over his gender and name continued for the next three years.
We did not actually have a fish bowl or tank at the time. We placed him on the kitchen counter in a clear plastic bowl. As a busy working mother of 2 kids I often neglected the fish. His water went weeks without getting changed. The cats would constantly drink from his bowl, often leaving him with only half his normal space. He occasionally went days without getting fed. And then there were the times when he was feed far too much by 2yr old Ella.
One thing was certain from the day we brought this fish home, he was a social kind of guy. Living in our kitchen, the busiest room of the house, he had lots of company. From his perch on the counter he watched the family who often was not watching him. And when he felt neglected, he had the unique ability to get my attention. This fish could make enough noise inside the water to get me to hear him from another room. He would swim like mad in the tank and make a ton of bubbles and noise. He would get the cats to notice him and then I would notice them checking out the fish...so then I would tend to his needs. If he knew he had an audience, he would perform....swimming around his tank like a super model on a runway. Showing off his sleek and shiny body. He would even come and kiss your finger if you placed it in the water.
Over the years Phishy grew and so did the girls. His black color all faded away and the name Adolf no longer mad sense. About a year and a half ago, the girls, having matured some, decided he...I mean she needed a better name. The family decided Diamond suited her sparkling personality. Some time shortly after that I became a more attentive pet owner and bought a one gallon tank with a filter, rocks and little plants. Now his home was on our breakfast table. I ate countless meals with Diamond. He would entertain me while I worked on grocery list and clipped coupons. For some reason, whenever I sat with him, I felt like he had something to say. I often spoke for him using the voice of the fish from the Cat in the Hat movie. My favorite line being...."Hello, remember me! The fish. Brought me home. Played with me for two weeks, and then....NOTHING!" I was always the one to care for his needs and often felt like I owed him some apologies, but he was always forgiving.
Earlier this month, the fireman's carnival rolled back into town. This year, the girls won 2 new fish on their very first try. We now had 3 fish and a one gallon tank. I went to WalMart and purchased a 10 gallon upgrade complete with new gravel, big plants and large rocks that they could swim through. On Aug 15th, Diamond moved into a beautiful new home. He was king of the castle. And he loved it. So did the little tiny fish we bought from Petco to keep him company . The same tiny fish I blame for infesting my tank with Ick. Ick that Diamond contracted. The disease was too much for the senior fish to bear. He fought a good fight, but did not win this battle. Diamond passed today at 12:51pm. I found him laying on the bottom of his sick tank with one fin up in the air. It looked like he was waving a final good-bye.
Here is Marley holding Diamond before he....I mean she...went into the make shift coffin. There was no flushing this pet.
Marley checks for a pulse before closing the lid. I couldn't believe how willing she was to touch the dead fish.
Daddy, serving as pallbearer, gathers the family for the service. Notice his shirt. It says, "Fishy Go Bye-Bye." I bought this for him at Kohl's when our favorite band Phish broke up in 2003. He dressed for the service.
We decided to make Daimond's final resting place just outside our family room window below this beautiful pine tree. It is the prettiest tree in our new yard. From inside the house, you can sit in the lounge chair and look out this window. The view is awesome, especially at sunrise. Looking out the window is kind of the same as looking into the tank.
Paying $20 for him/her was worth every penny!
We love you Diamond, Adolf, Phishy #2!
You were not just a fish, you were family.
