Fishing Around

There’s just one big problem.

My mother does not like animals.

I desperately wanted a parrot. My mother said it’s cruel to keep a parrot as a pet; she says that birds were made to fly and not to sit in cages. So I asked for a hamster or gerbil or guinea pig. My mother said, “You’re not old enough to be responsible for cleaning the cage properly, and I am not doing it.” Then I asked for a dog. “Baruch Hashem, I have enough people to take care of,” my mother said. And that was the end of that.

We had this conversation regularly. Then one day, my Bubby’s fish tank was suddenly filled with teeny, tiny baby fish. We enjoyed watching the tiny fish when we went for Shabbos, but my Bubby was very worried about the situation. She said there were too many fish for a fish tank this size. I saw my uncle take a jar of water and scoop up a bunch of baby fish to take home. That gave me an idea.

“Mommy!” I cried. “Let’s take fish too!” It wasn’t the same as a furry or feathered friend, but it was better than nothing. My mother shuddered. “Sorry, Yeshaya, not happening,” she said, and she looked away from the fish with an expression of disgust.

I felt sad.