BY VWEDE OVERAH
Just like yesterday, I vividly remember April 9, 2019.
On this day Catherine and Dafinone went out with other schoolmates on excursion to a fish farm and returned home with two ornamental fish. Fish were given to the over 20 pupils that made the trip. Their arrival was somewhat celebrated by the duo and other siblings. There was excitement allover. It was actually their first time seeing live fish in aquarium.
I returned from work late in the evening and witnessed, with amazement, the great delight the coming of these fish brought to my kids and their mother. They were happy. I was so glad they were happy, and I didn't hide my feelings. Their fine bulgy eyes and colourful glittering bodies swimming round the mini aquarium were a beauty to behold.
Catherine, the most infected by this new development, quickly told me that her fish’s was Gloria, while Dafinone, simply called his Silver. They were in separate jar-like aquariums, so distinguishing them wasn’t a problem. Unlike his sister, and perhaps all other pupils, Dafinone showed great nonchalance to his fish’s wellbeing. Days turned into weeks; and weeks turned into months. While Cathy expressed great love and dedication to Gloria’s upkeep, Silver and all other fish given out to schoolmates didn’t make it to three months.
Sadly, exactly nine months and one day after coming home, we lost Gloria.
I was at my Laptop, January 10th working on a presentation when I noticed Catherine swiftly walked into the sitting room. She whispered something to her brother and both quickly ran into her room. They came out in few seconds looking gloomy.
Sensing that something nasty must have taken place, I sprang up and asked what the matter was. Dafinone informed me his sister didn’t find Gloria in the aquarium shortly after changing her water. Remembering I once had a similar experience with the fish, I rushed into Cathy’s room. I put my hand in the jar, emptied it and behold we saw Gloria lifeless under the sand. She may have been ‘suffocated’ by the sand resulting from rough handling of water changing process.
So sad! She was exactly 9 months and 1 day old.
How would I forget Gloria?!
I learn quite some new things when she came in. It was always my job to buy her flakes. I remember surfing the internet, running around and making phone calls looking for fish flakes when her initial ration got exhausted. I saw ornament fish flakes for the first time and was made to pay expensively for it. I remember going back online to know alternative meals when flakes delivery was delayed by almost a week. I discovered oat as alternative. I remember how Catherine cringed with fear as I sprinkled the oat crumbs into the water.
How would I forget how i like watching Gloria swim up, down and in between tiny shrub and sometimes hitting sand surface? It was fun watching her, especially when mom and kids go on short trips or vacation leaving daddy home alone. On those days, I remember getting phone calls from Catherine and mom either reminding me to feed Gloria or change her water regularly. Wow! It was fun.
As I stared at the dead fish, I still sensed the kids were still behind me. Somehow, I found it difficult to turn around. I could imagine their countenance. When I eventually did, I saw the expected. Tears. Quiet tears. Cathy could not hold back. O My God! It was only a small fish na! I struggled to keep this thought within.
A firm promise to replace Gloria with two or three others in a bigger aquarium somehow did the trick as tears gradually dried up leaving only grief and sadness that also disappeared within 24 hours.
