Call me Ismael
Student's fish wasn't allowed to fly so a pet-loving airline worker stepped up
At the end of her freshman year at the University of Tampa in May, Kira Rumfola packed her bags and headed to the airport with her favourite roommate: a colourful betta fish named Theo. Rumfola, 19, was headed home to Long Island for the summer and was happy to be bringing home the little fish she had bonded with during the months she'd had him. She figured there would be no problem taking Theo on-board the plane in a small portable fish carrier.
“I'd done it before over the holidays with another airline, so I filled the container with water and put Theo in it,” she said.
There was a problem. While she was checking her bags for her flight on Southwest Airlines, customer service agent Ismael Lazo noticed the deep blue and purple fish and explained to Rumfola that the airline's pet policy allowed only small dogs and cats on-board in carriers. No other pets are permitted on planes.
“All of my roommates had already gone home for the summer and I had nobody to leave Theo with,” said Rumfola, who is majoring in early-childhood education at the university. “I was really sad and wondered what I was going to do. He's my pet.”
Lazo, 35, said he understood Rumfola's concern for Theo.
“I have two dogs — I wouldn't want to abandon them somewhere,” he said. “And I also know how hard it is to leave them when I go out of town.”
So he made a split-second decision to offer his home and his fish-sitting services.
“How about if I take your fish home to live with me and my fiancée until you come back for college in the fall?” he said he told her. “You can text me over the summer to see how he's doing whenever you like.”
There was one catch: Lazo told Rumfola that he didn't know the first thing about caring for a pet fish, but he was willing to try.
“She gave me her fish kit — some food and some water conditioner — then told me how often to clean the water,” he recalled. “I told her I would do my very best to keep Theo happy.”
As soon as she arrived home in New York, she texted Lazo: “Hi Ismael, it's the girl from the airport with the fish! I was just wondering how he is doing. If you have any questions about Theo please feel free to text me, thank you!”
Lazo quickly responded: “Hey! We are heading to the store to buy him a bigger tank.”
“We enjoyed having Theo around and we also noticed he got excited when my fiancée was doing the dishes,” Lazo said.
As for Rumfola, she is back on campus, relieved to be reunited with her small aquatic buddy. Theo is swimming laps around the bowl, just as he did at Lazo's apartment.
“I'm really grateful he stepped up to help, Theo seems pretty happy.”