Cashew and Raisin

As far as my memory goes, I have always wanted pets. I love animals. My dad or even mom never wanted one, ever. They were not even ever moved by my numerous puppy-eyed pleads to get one puppy for me. A fine day & my dad's fine mood - that's all I would need to place myself finely in his lap, stretching over to touch his chin lightly and say , "Papa, I want a puppy." Sometimes, I would influence my sister and get her involved too. He wouldn't budge. His history with pets, especially dogs had left him convinced to not get one, ever again.

I had to put my persuasions on guard one not-so-fine a day when I was up to the same emotional bantering to induce my dad to give in. It started when dad came home one evening and gave us a news that one of his friends was offering to sell his Labrador to us since he was going to be traveling soon for many months and couldn't take his pet along... "Dad, I think we should buy it. I'm serious. I mean there are so many thefts around, see today's newspaper also carried the news of this old couple attacked by these thieves..bla bla". And my dad waived his hand to show he wasn't interested. So as I tried hopelessly to grab his interest, my excitement peaked and I went a decibel or two up while saying, "Don't you think Mom, Guddu and I need a good big dog around the house to keep a watch..". And in the middle of my sentence which was going to finish something like "..when you are on the ship"; my dad quipped,"So who could be better than ME- a big dog around the house to keep a watch!". I was so in the flow of my debate and quite eager to put across my whole point that I completely shunned away what he had just said and went something like, "Ya ya, you're fine..BUT I mean a real dog too, that....." Halfway, I chewed back my words and looked guiltily at my dad. Few seconds of silence and his stare- I swear I never felt more sorry for not being a good listener and being such a chatterbox. Till date to my embarrassment, he would mention it jokingly to our guests on how once I almost made him a Labrador. I wish I could tell him how unpleasant the sarcastic humor is to me!

Recently, almost after 15 years of the incident, I tried adopting one. Per the restrictions in pet policies of the apartment society I live in, I couldn't get a dog. I decided against birds as my roommate had couple of budgies and however beautiful, birds are quite a pro at creating a mess and what not by the end of a day, everyday. So I concluded that as a beginner, I should get a low maintenance pet, and what better than a fish. Goldfish is what instantly came to my mind for they catch my eye every time I am in an aquarium - I find them beautiful! I emphasize on the word 'beautiful' as I am finally a parent of such two- I have named them Cashew and Raisin.

I have seen them grow everyday. I have seen them learning to maneuver
around in their new tank(read ' their new home'). I saw them curiously exploring their surroundings- tumbling over air bubbles by mistake and gliding back gleefully to their newly found game. I saw them swirling around the vacuum cleaner whenever I would be cleaning to catch those one or two food flakes they had missed earlier. I saw them sluggishly lying at the bottom on the rocks when it would be cold or cloudy to just silently point out to me I need to pay attention. I saw them rushing to the top to kiss the tip of my finger when immersed in water thinking it was a food flake and then rushing down even faster on realizing they'd been tricked. I remember when they pooped for the first time in the tank and panic struck how we googled- 'what is the red thing coming out of my goldfish?'. I remember them shivering in shock for a full day when for the very first time I cleaned their tank and remember how the duration of their shock abated and actually became a fun activity for them with every session. Till date, I see them staring back at me in stillness when I sit and stare at them. I see them looking hard at me through water and glass as if trying to read my mind when I sit looking at them but actually am lost in my thoughts. And every now and then, if I haven't gone crazy yet- I see them blowing a kiss at me if I look sad to them - could actually be that they are just breathing air in but the timing is so sweet that I blow a kiss back. And yes, I see them smiling at me coming together and then going away from each other to see which one will I chase with my finger.

Since I adopted Cashew and Raisin, I have been researching on how to take care of them but as it seems, while I live and move around them- concerned once in a while if they are alright- they are at the top of this game- silently and mutely, somehow they've been taking a better care of me. How I would love to add more pets to my family. A dog would definitely be the next! :)