Gratitude. Or the lack thereof.

So Monday morning, I cleaned the fish bowl. Shouldn't have been a big deal. Shouldn't being the keyword here. It was a big deal. To start off with there is the fish. Now I know not all fish are the same but mine takes the cake. He is the most hormonal, moody fish I've ever met. If anything I'd swear he's going through puberty. Except I think he already did that. Sometime about ten minutes after he hatched. But I might be mistaken. 

First, I couldn't get him out of the bowl. He was bound and determined to stay right there. He was happy where he was, nasty disgusting water and all, thank you very much! I eventually got him out of the bowl and into his VERY temporary home. He hated it. He moped. He wined. He floated in my bright orange mixing bowl and refused to move. I talked to him. I tried to feed him. All the while scrubbing the five months of accumulated fish poo out of his bowl. And off his rocks. And off his plants. 

Finally I had his bowl all sparkling and clean. I picked up my little green net and prepared to scoop the poor wretched little fish out of the orange monstrosity and put him back in his own happy little home. But what does the little bugger do? The instant my net hits the water he jumps. I don't mean jumps a little. Or jumps to the side. Or to avoid the net. Well, he successfully managed that. But he jumped out of the bowl. And onto the counter. 

When I try to scoop him off the counter? He flops away again. As if he was content to stay on the counter. My second try, I get him up and into his fresh clean bowl. And then the ungrateful wretch just slowly sank to the bottom and sat there. Like the lump that he is. No happy swimming. To appreciation for all my hard work. He just sat there hiding behind his plants. Twenty minutes later and after much bribing coaxing on my part he finally came out. 

He's been swimming peacefully enough this afternoon, although he hasn't quite forgiven me for the trauma I inflicted on him. No worries though! He'll come crying to his mama soon enough. I just better make sure I keep my little green net well out of sight!