Gustavo

As promised, here is the life story of a much loved pet fish named Gustavo.

Labor Day weekend, senior year of college, my roommate and I decided to get pet fish. So we went to PetCo, and we each got a beta fish. Angie named hers Bruce, and I named mine Gustavo.

Because our male beta fish were aggressive if they could see each other, one lived on the coffee table and one lived on the dining room table for their own safety.

Bruce had a short life, taking the trip down the toilet after only about a week with us.

Gustavo missed him, but soon had a new companion. Angie's boyfriend Tony stepped in and bought her a new fish, christened Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee lasted several months before joining his predecessor Bruce.

After an appropriate mourning period, we welcomed Bruce Wayne into our household. He and Gustavo would be lifelong friends, despite spending the last year of their lives apart.

Upon graduation, Angie, Tony, and Bruce Wayne moved to the northwest, and Gustavo and I moved to Tucson.

For the 1500 mile journey, Gustavo's bowl was nestled into a 5 gallon bucket that sat between the bucket seats of the UHaul that my dad and I drove from St. Louis to Tucson. As it was July, it was quite hot, so every night Gustavo was snuck into the hotel. Gustavo and I were subject to quite a bit of ridicule from my father, but he was very tolerant when I insisted Gustavo come in with us.

Shortly after moving to the northwest, Angie and Tony got a pair of kittens, Cosmo and Dot. Alas, Bruce Wayne and his bowl had to move into a cupboard to be safe from the curious kittens.


All through the trials and tribulations of my first year of graduate school Gustavo was a faithful friend. When I went out of town my first semester he went over to my friend Dallas' apartment for a visit. Second semester, I left him in the care of my roommates.

In the middle of July, the summer after my first year, I noticed that Gustavo had become unusually lethargic. A few days later, on Angie's birthday actually, I came home from school to discover he had died during the day.

When my roommate Lisa got home, she instantly knew something was wrong. She kindly agreed to flush Gustavo up to heaven, as I was too squeamish to do it myself.

Bruce Wayne did not long outlive Gustavo, dying just a couple weeks later. (Actually, neither Angie or I quite remember when Bruce Wayne died. I only remember it was the same month as Gustavo, but it sounds better this way.)

And that, is the story of Gustavo the fish and his friends Bruce, Bruce Lee, and Bruce Wayne.