When I was a boy, I thought I had to have a new fish for my aquarium every time my family and I went to a pet shop, discount store or the local Harper's Five & Dime (which I miss terribly). I vividly recall one evening in the pet department of a store in Anderson, South Carolina, in which Dad and I were perusing the guppies, tetras and gouramis. A noise from a bird cage caught our attention, and we walked over an aisle or so to discover a handsome parrot entertaining passersby with his antics. I didn't pay much attention to the lady standing idly as I viewed the price tag and exclaimed, "Six Hundred Ninety-Nine Dollars!" Without a moment's hesitation, Dad said, "What idiot would pay $700 for a bird?" At that point, the woman standing nearby replied, "I just did. They've gone in the back to get me a cage." At that, Dad said, "Son, let's check out those goldfish."