Matt: Cats or dogs?
Me: For dinner?
Matt: Ryan made another funnee.
Me: I’m here all week!
Matt: I was hoping to keep you much longer than that.
My heart gives a little pinch.
Matt: So which one?
Me: I’ve never owned a pet.
I should’ve just chosen one. There was no need to admit that.
Matt: Not even a goldfish?
Me: Oh, yeah. I had a fish once. I got him at a county fair when I was 12.
Matt: What was his name?
Me: David Swimmer.
Matt: Ah, a preteenFriendsfan.
Me: Reruns were always available.
Matt: So not a cat or dog person but a fishy friend.
Me: I can’t really say. He only lived a handful of hours.
Hell, why is all this stuff coming up now?
Matt: Fairground fish aren’t destined for longevity, sadly.
Not with the stepfather I had at the time. Stepfather of the month, probably, though it sometimes seemed as though they were only around a matter of days.
My mother bitched about a fish needing a fishbowl and where the hell was I gonna get one of those. I put him in a plastic dish and said I’d figure it out tomorrow. I’d probably go into town, to the dollar store. They’d have something there. Maybe I’d even wait until the afternoon, when she was sometimes in a better mood. Mornings were rough for her, coming down from last night’s liquor and the fighting with the boyfriend du jour. By afternoon, she would be well on her way again, but there was often a short period between hungover and drunk where she was more amenable. Or less mean, at least.
Not that I got to test that theory after the asshole boyfriend sneaked into my room that night, claiming he just wanted to help. We were friends, weren’t we? He said he’d give me some money to solve my little problem.No doubt if I helped him with his.
I told him to get out—that if he didn’t leaveright now, I’d scream so loud they’d hear me in the next county. I also told him I slept with a knife and that I wasn’t afraid to use it. By that age, I was well versed in fighting talk.
His revenge was to make my goldfish disappear overnight and said if I told anyone about our “little conversation,” I’d be the next one to vanish.
It’s weird how sad I was about that damn fish for months.
Also weird is how I’ve never thought of that night in years. It’s not really a story worth recounting. I haven’t before. I’m not about to do so now as I send my last text of the exchange.
Me: It was nice while it lasted.
I wonder if Matt will say the same, looking back on this experience. I’d like to think he’ll have fonder memories of me than I have of my fish.
Chapter 31
Matt
