“Alice.” Helena warned, her tone a statement of finality. That was a subject that wasn’t to be brought up.

Alice backed off. “All I’m trying to say is that you’re doing great. You know what they say about rehab right? After you leave, you’re supposed to get a plant, and then an animal, and then you can date and whatever, I don’t know the whole deal. Just, consider this you after rehab.”

“Shouldn’t we be in a flower shop then?”

“Nah, we’re skipping the whole plant deal. To hell with that. We’re moving right on to animals baby.”

“And I’m certainly not going to wait to date.”

“Of course not.” Alice laughed. “But seriously Hel. You want to show Peggy you deserve to get that money back, a pet is going to do it.”

Helena wasn’t listening to her though. She wasn’t even looking at her. She was looking past her to something. Alice turned around, thinking a hot woman had walked in or something, but no one was there. “What? What is it?”

Without a word, Helena moved past her. “I’ve found it.”

“Found what?”

————————–

“Look at him, isn’t he darling?” Helena said, straightening up from her bent position on her kitchen counter. (Actually, it was the divider between the kitchen and the living room, but Helena refused to acknowledge that.)

“Yeah,” Alice rolled her eyes, crossing her legs as she sat on one of the armchairs. “He’s a regular sweetheart.”

“Why do you have to be so negative? You wanted me to get a pet, and I did. You’d think you’d be happy for me.”

“I’d be happy if you got a dog, or a cat, or even a lizard for Christ’s sake. But Helena…” She stood, pointing her whole hand toward the small half-gallon fishbowl that sat in the middle of the counter, decorated with rainbow colored gravel, one green plastic decorative plant, and a lone goldfish. “A gold fish? A fucking gold fish!”

Helena wrapped her hands around the fishbowl, as if to shield her new pet from Alice’s harsh words. “Please, Alice, curb your language around Stanley.”

“Stanley?”

Helena crouched down to the bowl again, looking at Stanley. He was a small goldfish, with a white patch around his mouth and gills. He immediately swam to the other side of the bowl, away from her face. “Doesn’t he look like a Stanley?”