Daddy Long Legs

I gargle every morning with salt water as part of my morning ablutions. As I lift my head to allow the water to pool in the back of my throat, I become aware of the warm upper corner of my bathroom ceiling. It is sloped on a fairly steep rake, so that the highest corner is above the sink where I stand. There, hanging out most mornings, is a daddy long legs. I greet him and wonder at the patience he has to await his prey for breakfast. I conjecture that he has an interesting life for a daddy long legs.

Occasionally, he will venture from his corner to explore farther down the ceiling. How did he get there? He never appears to be moving. One morning, a fly was caught in an invisible strand of this web. He was still alive. I thought about knocking him down and saving him from being that day’s meal. However, I decided that this was exactly what my friend with the long legs needed and had prepared for during the night and who was I to disturb the natural order of this tiny universe. He was gone by the following morning’s gargle.

Another morning, there was another slightly smaller daddy long legs in the high upper corner hanging out with my friend. I surmised that it might be a mommy long legs or maybe even a baby long legs. Had they been up there all night long? It must have been a one-night’s-stand for she was never seen again.

I really don’t spend much time on these ruminations every morning. They last as long as the gargle. I am beginning to look forward to checking in with him to see if he has any surprises for me. One can find entertainment in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Prema Rose