Have I ever been in love? What an unusual question, but now thinking back, there was this one fish at the store who I believe was in love with me. She was a smaller fish with flowing, silk-like pectorals and was the color of a burning flame. Her name was Goldenrod, but we called her Gold. I remember she was shy, but there was always one fish she felt comfortable around—me. There wasn’t a single moment when she watched me from her tank. Having a secret admirer was nice but also annoying. There was no telling what Gold would have done if they moved her to my tank.
Now, if I have had an Elevator Experience… Yes, I have—I call mine the Bowl Experience—but I don’t like thinking about it. All I know is that I don’t enjoy children anymore.
“Sorry, Oscar, but I can’t sleep.” Bailey props up his pillows and turns on the TV. He removes the note from my bowl and studies it. “24-Hour Room Service? Hell yeah!” He smiles, and I want to smile myself. There’s the human behind his stress.
Room Service reaches the room five minutes after Bailey orders. “Mahi-mahi fish from the grill?” Esmerelda inquires.
Fish? Oh no, not again! I don’t need another Bowl Experience!
“Wow, that was quick,” Bailey says, ignoring my whitening scales. He accepts the plate from Esmerelda. “Thank you.”
Esmerelda nods. “We can bring crab cracks, too.”
“No, fish is enough.”
Fish! There goes my interest in Bailey. Who eats my friend right before me?
Esmerelda glances at me and snickers. “It looks like Oscar’s not taking it too well.”
Bailey scoffs. “Yeah, well, he should be glad he’s not on the platter.”
Ugh! That—wait, a fish isn’t supposed to feel emotions.
Esmerelda hides her hands behind her. “Do you want me to take him back?”
“No!” Bailey quickly answers. He clears his throat. “No, I’ll deal with him for six more hours.”
“Very well.” Esmerelda bows and leaves.
Bailey faces me. “Stop looking at me like that! I’m hungry. At least it’s not another goldfish. Give a struggling writer a chance.”
Screw you, human.
Like Goldenrod, I toss my body against my bowl a few times.
“Stop, stop, stop!” Bailey sets the plate down and places his palms on my bowl’s sides. “Look at you, little fella, feeling anger.”
Is that what this is? If so, hopefully, it will help Bailey change his mind.
He removes his hands and picks up his fork and knife. He pauses over the meat and looks at me again.
Please, buddy, you can eat fish anywhere else, but not when I’m in the room. That’s like a lobster watching its friend thrown into a pot of boiling water.
The Bowl Experience began on a day like today. It was cold and snowy, and the family of four entered their room. They slipped off their coats, the parents made the children shower, and then they settled down for Finding Nemo on Disney+.
Darla gave me nightmares. It was excruciating watching how she treated the fish. The children, though, liked her for some reason.
The parents left to take a phone call in the hallway, leaving the children unattended with me during Finding Nemo’s Darla scene. One can imagine what happened next, but as I mentioned, I hate thinking about it.
My mind returns to Gold and her flowing pectorals. They shimmered under the store’s lights, so my nickname for her was Beauty. She was a beautiful fish, but I didn’t fall in love.
Bailey lowers his fork and knife. “It’s hard to read you, but something tells me you have had an Elevator Experience. Was it a friend of yours?” He talks to himself. “Sure, as if a fish has friends.”
We do, Bailey.
While Gold and I never hooked up, we became friends like innocent prisoners locked up across from one another.
Seeing my face, Bailey giggles. “All right, you’ve convinced me, but just this once.” He sets his silverware on his platter and types into the room phone. “Hello, 24-Hour Room Service? Yes, I’d like to change my order.”
Did I hear him right? Yes, I did! I swim in a circle and offer Bailey my fins.
“You’re welcome,” he says.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm64LerauUs
End of Hour Two: The Past is the Past
Current Word Count: 3,200
ns 15.158.61.48da2
