“So how’d the diving go?”

Doug slid onto the stool and signaled the bartender. He sighed. “Weird, Mike.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah, rum and Coke.” The bartender nodded, and Doug shook his head. “Yeah, I found this cluster of anemone, so I hung around to watch the clownfish, right?”

“Yeah?” Mike took a slug of his beer.

“You know they have this symbiotic relationship thing going.”

“Yep. The fish are protected from the anemone’s venom, so they hide in there from predators, and they keep the anemone alive in return.”

“You’ve done your homework.” The drink appeared at Doug’s elbow, and he raised his glass to the retreating bartender. “I’d like a symbiotic relationship with her,” he said.

“You got that right. So what’s weird?”

“Well, all of a sudden this sea turtle showed up, dug around in the anemone and came up with a clownfish in his beak.”

“Oh. Huh. I didn’t know sea turtles ate clownfish.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

“Or that turtles are immune to the venom. Venemone, as it were.”

“Shut up. Yeah, I said it was weird.” Doug swallowed half his drink in one gulp. “Maybe the poison wasn’t as strong as it should have been.”

Mike sighed and shook his head. “Well, I guess so much for that relationship, you know?”

“Yep.”

“Just goes to show,” said Mike.

“What?”

“Well, with fronds like those, who needs anenomes?”

The rest of the rum and Coke went down Mike’s shirt, and he guffawed as Doug stalked away.