Waiting for Rain- A Fish Story

Waiting for Rain- A Fish Story

Eyes wide open, she swished into the light. Always watching. Always waiting for the rain of food or any movement in the still water. Her constant home since she was unceremoniously dumped here like last night’s leftovers, like an unwanted toy, like a… well you get the idea. A red starfish missing a leg littered the landscape while the remnants of lunch, dinner, and breakfast floated aimlessly. The shapes of the two legged beings outside the tank lilted together in an awkward dance of affection.  

“Babe, you gotta feed the fish while I’m gone. But not too much. Just a pinch should do it,” she said in a hushed voice. 

“Why are you whispering?”

She laughed a little while hanging on to his shirt. “I think they can hear us. That new fish especially keeps staring at me like she is thinking about something.”

“I think you’ve been watching too many late night movies. You need to get your rest if you are driving all night to your conference.”

“It sounds silly but my grandma always said that I had a gift for knowing when the world was not right. Just be sure to feed them, ok?”

The water was still that night with only the purr of the filter to keep her company. How could she be so lonely? There were plenty of colours to look at in the tank. Reds, blues, even aquamarines. She put her eye close to the glass and observed the darkness.

Time evolved.  

Then, rain! So much rain! Wafers of coloured paper pelted the water’s surface and slowly descended into the murky depths. And more. And still more! The man was preoccupied watching the flat box on the wall and spilled the entire contents of the container into her home. She could feel the mist of warmth rising up from her belly as she feasted. Eating past hunger had angered her.  

“Hello?”

“Did you remember to feed the fish?”

“Why are you calling? You don’t think I can remember to feed them? You don’t trust me, do you?”

“No, I do trust you. I uh I just wanted to call to check in. Can’t a girl check in on the man she loves?”

“Ok, but let me call you later. You know that the game is on and I’m here to support my boys in blue.”

“Seriously? You’re choosing the game over talking with me? Anyway, they’re calling me back. I will see you tomorrow night. Love you. Do you love me?”

“You know I do. Now have fun and don’t worry about anything. When it comes to the fish, I am the skipper, the man with the plan, the…!”

“Ya, ya. I get it. G’bye!” She giggled. He could always make her laugh.

The man hung up the phone and shook his head. She was so particular. When was she gonna learn to believe him. Nothing was the same since that last fish died. Her confidence had dropped to zero when he mistakenly placed a predatory fish in the same tank as her favourite puffer fish. More like “pouf”-er fish he chuckled to himself. He thought about how that last fish died. It did not just float to the surface; it vapourized. Implosion. Just the lonely eyeball floating near the side of the glass. Horrible. Disgusting. He smirked. Maybe he should have kept it as a souvenir for his growing collection of gross things. Nah, he already had several eyeballs.

He carefully washed the dishes by hand since the dishwasher was on the fritz. She taught him that much. And she would lose it if he didn’t sweep up after the meal. But then, he relaxed near the fishtank twirling his growing mustache and pulled out his phone.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

“Not much. Is she still away?”

“Ya, she’s not home till tomorrow. Can you swing on by? I need to see you.”

“Can’t we meet somewhere else? Your fish tank creeps me out a little.”

“Now, don’t be like that. For once, I don’t have to pay for a room because we can cuddle at my place. The fish tank? I’ll put a tarp over it so you don’t have to see it.”

“Alright. Let me get a sitter and I will be over, eventually. Put on some nice clothes and chill the wine.”

The night went exactly as planned. There was soft music and wine and some highly inappropriate actions for a married man to have with a woman who was not his wife. She left in a hurry in the early hours of the morning leaving one shoe behind.

…

The conference went on longer than expected and driving home in the dark was more stressful than she would have liked to admit. Still it was good to be home. They had been having some troubles connecting but she felt like they were ready to start fresh. New beginnings and all that.  

She walked in to see chaos. The place was turned upside down. There was a dark cloth covering her beloved fish tank. 

“Hey! Where are you? What is with this mess? Is this how you look after the place ‘Skipper’?”

Silence filled the space.

“You know, if this is what happens when I go away, I am really disappointed in you. I thought things were going to change. And why is the tank covered?”

She swooped down to pick up the empty wine bottle and noticed the woman’s size 9 red Louboutin shoe under the couch. Her body began to ache with the suffering of the ages. Tears quietly ran down her cheeks making splash marks on the floor.

Dejected, she shuffled towards the tank and slowly removed the dark cloth revealing a gruesome sight. There, squished up against the glass, was his head without eyes. A small fish chewed thoughtfully on the mustache swirling back and forth in a mesmerizing rhythm.

“His eyes will be a great addition to my collection,” the fish giggled as bubbles rose to the surface.