The Dude

A fish story

He's giving me the eye.

The Dude and I have a spotty, yet warm history. He was recently re-homed from the counter of our family yoga studio. Everyone was fond of The Dude, but because it was a very busy place with so many people coming and going, his contact with humans was fleeting, and usually consisted of people exclaiming, "Has anyone fed the fish?"

Every day, I would greet the nameless fish, by walking up to the tank, gently placing my index finger against the glass, and whispering, "High fin dude." After a couple of weeks, the fish started to respond. He would swim up to the glass where my finger was pressed, and then quickly dash off.

Alas, we decided to close the studio, and the fish tank was one of the last items to be moved out of the building. It was unclear who he actually belonged to. I didn't buy him. He just showed up one day on a bookshelf. A few months later, he was in a fancy new tank. A couple of weeks later, he was on the counter.

I walked up to his tank, and whispered, "Hey Dude, you wanna go home with me?" He began to flap his little fins in a fish frenzy of delight. "I take that as a 'yes.'"

There really weren't proper materials, and no time to pack him for travel. So like all intrepid voyagers, we winged it. He rode home in the floor of the passenger seat. I prayed to whomever may be the Goddess of Fish, that our trip would be a smooth one, and as stress free as possible for the fish.

He was a mighty brave sailor. Dodging potholes as best I could, driving as slowly as traffic would allow, there was still the occasional, tiny tsunami to sweep over the surface of the fish's home. 

His fish house. Very Bauhaus-ian, don't you think?

We've been roommates for three weeks now, and The Dude seems to be settling in. "The Dude" has become his official name. This morning, I think we had a relationship breakthrough. Normally, he is as aloof as a cat, He will occasionally deign to look at me over his shoulder. As I hovered over his tank, he dashed up to greet me, and I swear he looked up at me with fisheyes of friendship. His little fins flapped in joy as he sucked up his tiny pellets. The Dude Abides.