Jubilee: Noun. Any season or occasion of rejoicing or festivity.
This is the word-of-the-day fromwww.dictionary.com. I cannot help but feel this selection was ill-considered, for this is a day of mourning.
You are all friends of Moses, and can lament his passing with me. He and I have known each other for almost two years now, and he will remain in my heart and mind forever.
He was the best Crowntail Betta a man could ask for—handsome, bold and aggressive. I rescued him from a dejected Petco store in Framingham, Massachusetts, and we have been one ever since.
Most Bettas do not have the privilege of living in Hewitt, Hi Rise and on Fountain in addition to having a summer domicile in suburban Boston. Moses was well aware of the uniqueness and glamor of his lifestyle, and took full advantage of it. He was undoubtedly the envy of all Bettas.
His first, and perhaps most well known home was in an empty bottle of Svedka. Life in a vodka bottle proved difficult for Moses’ lifestyle; housekeeping was a challenge to say the least.
He later moved into a biscuit jar, where he lived the majority of his life. He was quite taken with his new home, and his newfound ability to swim in circles of much larger diameter. To this day, some even affectionately call him “Biscuit,” or “Biscuits.”
One tragic day my mother returned home to find Moses flopping in merely centimeters of water; his home had developed a fatal crack. While on the real estate market, Moses made homes of both a tupperware container and a nalgene bottle. He finally settled down in a true fish bowl, which became his final resting place.
Though his passing was a shock, in hindsight I cannot say it came as too much of a surprise. Moses’ eyesight seemed to be degrading, so much so that he could no longer see his Betta pellets floating atop his bowl. After not eating for one too many days (and I kid you not) I witnessed Moses use his last scrap of energy to do three high speed laps around his home, as if to announce victory on a fantastic life. Exhausted, he floated limply to the surface.
I would like us to remember Moses’ life in happiness, as I will never forget our time together. Instead of mourning in sadness, perhaps, we should treat today as a jubilee—for Moses.
R. I. P. Moses (2008 – 2010)
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