one fish, two fish, red fish … not red fish

 

 

I come into the dining room from the kitchen carrying sandwiches and pickles on plates.

Mot has put two placemats on the table for lunch. One has a slim green fish on it, the other a round red-striped fish.

He goes to get napkins and returns to find me swapping the placemats, putting the green fish where I sit.

 

Me: Thanks for getting the …

Mot: Why are you switching them?

Me: I don’t like the striped fish.

Mot: I thought you didn’t like the green fish.

Me: That was when the choice was between the green fish and the blue fish. In that case, I wanted the blue fish because I always like the blue fish. But when it’s between the green fish and the red fish, I want the green fish.

Mot: And you don’t think that’s weird.

~ pause ~

Me: Here, you can have the green one.