crabbies in the sun

i have crabs. hermit crabs. they live in a luxurious beach side resort in my living room. these creatures have always fascinated me...the way they communicate, their ability to walk vertically up (or down!) any surface with the slightest crevices...i could go on, but then i'd sound like a crab geek, and the only thing worse than a crab geek is an iguana geek.
jeff and i made a spontaneous stop at petsmart last weekend, and even though i had vowed to stop adding to my little crabbie family (that is intended to sound gross), i couldn't help myself. there was this one little fellow sitting a bit wonky, with a cracked shell and a missing leg, looking through the glass of the tank at nothing in particular. i assumed he was either crazy or depressed, but it didn't really matter. i fell in love (gross, again).
an employee wandered over and i heard a noise inside my head. a faint beeping.
"what is that?" i thought to myself.
ignoring it, i asked if i could take the little guy out of the tank and have a look.
"sure" the guy said. "i'm usually working over in the animal hospital next door. my husband is the vet."
"aah!" i responded, but not so much to him as to myself. gaydar... i'd gotten so emotionally involved with the crab that i failed to recognize the familiar sound in my head.
"i'll take him," i said, "and that big red one there too!"
hopefully, the two new crabs are happier now. they have bonded, adjusted, and now stroll on their own private beach with five other friends.