How I Developed A Friendship With A Common Housefly...

I had been in the house alone for several months before the fly arrived. I figured he came in through the front door while I was carrying my bicycle inside.

At first, he was as annoying as any housefly. Landing on me, buzzing around my head, and then avoiding my swipes at him. He was quick and a little cocky, too. He was constantly challenging me to catch him, which I never even came close to doing.

Then he started landing on the areas close to me, like counters and coffee tables, taunting me. When he landed on my plate and then my fork, I almost got the swatter out to finish him off. But something stopped me. I didn't totally mind having a pet fly in the house. At least I wasn't alone…

When I went downstairs to do laundry, he followed. When I left on a bike ride, he swarmed me when I returned, much like a dog with separation anxiety.

Google said house flies can live 15-30 days, provided they have plenty of food and water. I was determined to provide him with the best environment to ensure he lived a long life, and our time together wasn't cut short. I began speaking to him, always starting with, "Hey, fly…"

The longer he was in the house, the more comfortable I became with his presence. I started leaving large morsels of food and small droplets of water on the counter by the computer where I spend most of my time, hoping to keep him well nourished and prolong his life. I was becoming fond of the little fella…

He followed me around the house like any pet, and even when he didn't, he was never far behind. I told my son Dylan I had a pet fly. He laughed…

Last night, after I returned from a bike ride hot and sweaty, which usually attracted him to me, I waited—and waited. He was nowhere in sight. I started looking around the house, thinking maybe he was hanging out somewhere other than the kitchen.

After my exhaustive search led to nothing, I had to consider that his life had come to an abrupt end, and I began a search for his corpse. I feared finding him belly up, alone on the floor somewhere, but I thought that would be better than not knowing…

It has been 16 hours since I last saw him, and seeing how he was in the house for 31 days, I've had to start accepting the reality that I was living alone again.

I know there will never be another housefly like him. RIP my friend…