When Molly announced via a text messaged picture of our toilet yesterday the demise of her pet aqua frog named Dot, the reaction flew swiftly and sweetly.
“Yuck,” texted her big brother Charlie, who, of all people, might have been more sympathetic. Charlie once found himself at the center of a heated custody battle over a carnival goldfish.
Disgusted by the fish bowl’s smelly state, Charlie’s Dad declared “Goldie” a Fish In Need of protection (FIN) and removed him from Charlie’s bedroom, home to the fish for the previous four years. A then-third grader given to high drama, Charlie counter-sued and a Scopes style trial ensued with yours truly honorably presiding. Following a fiery debate over whether the fish was person or property, I sided with the fish, who spent one night in his sparkling clean bowl and promptly died.
Dot, a charming little frog with a sweet southern accent and more lives than a cat, outlived his partner, Dip, by more than two years. The two joined our family in 2009 after a raucous girls’ weekend in South Carolina.
Imagine, then, the heartbreak of Molly’s siblings upon learning of that sweet frog’s death.
“I thought that thing died years ago,” texted Molly’s other big brother, Vinnie.
Actually, Molly and I thought so too on more than one occasion. We would scoop a motionless Dot out of his small tank, say a few respectful words, and then watch as he rose, Lazarus-like, from the netting and flipped himself back into the tank.
Honestly, he scared us a little. We thought he’d outlive us all.
So, I’m sure Molly’s text message yesterday caught us all off guard. Grief oozed from the very letters of Molly’s big sister Katherine’s response.
“aaannnddd, I’m eating lunch.”
Rest in Peace, Dot. You freaked us out a little, but we’ll miss you all the same.
