Mr. Kingpin, our resident toad

There is this frog. Toad, I should say as we have little tree frogs in Bermuda but large and I used to believe gross toads. Warts and all.  Large and ugly to me who sings his head off every time there is rainfall. He hops across our garden from a place yet unseen and plops himself into our empty pool. Claiming it as his home at our expense because he does not pay a bit of rent. Has never even bothered to ask permission. But he has claimed our empty pool as his home whenever there is rain. How he gets in and out we will never know. But he does and savours every drop of rain. The heavier the rainfall, the better. While the rest of us are inside hiding from the rain, he comes out of hiding and makes his presence known croaking at the top of his lungs.

His song is not very pretty to me. Croaky. But consistent. Repetitive and I guess rhythmic to him and to his court of ladies. He is Mr. Kingpin in my mind because with his croaky song and his unattractive huge body his song attracts lots of females sometimes two and three at a time. They don’t seem to be jealous of each other and they seem to wait their turn until they can enter the kingdom of Mr. Kingpin. In his palace at the bottom of our empty pool.

When we first heard his song, we could not figure out what it was. Could not understand what the horrible yet rhythmic sound was until we spotted Mr. Kingpin holding court proudly in the bottom of our empty pool. Now with the bottom filled with murky water from the rain – much to Mr. Kingpin’s delight. Even if it is to our chagrin.

So every time it rains we listen out for Mr. Kingpin. We listen out for his unattractive song to us but attractive to his followers, admirers, mothers of his future spawn. And this morning when I woke trying to think of what I would write about, trying to come to terms with the huge downpours we had last night and the thunderstorms, Mr. Kingpin was the first music that I heard. His song louder and louder after every downpour. His voice more commanding and rhythmic.

Making me realize that everything and everyone has a purpose in life whether we want them near or not. Whether we accept their presence or not. The huge downpours may dampen our spirits and send us rushing inside, while toads like Mr. Kingpin welcome it because it allows him a place to court his suitors. Gives him a place to sire the next generation of toads. Wets his body so that he can be handsome and attractive to the females.

No matter how gross Mr. Kingpin wallowing at the bottom of my pool may seem to me, I realise it is to remind me there is a time and place for everything. Sometimes that place may not be ours and we have to be willing to make space for those whose time it is and be accepting of that time. Mr. Kingpin is now silenced perhaps he is mating as I type but I am grateful for his presence because knowing he is in my yard I am confident there will never be a centipede.

I used to be terrified of toads until I met a centipede and once I learnt that toads eat them, I welcome the sight and sound of my ugly majestic toad, Mr. Kingpin, who holds court in the murky water left behind in my empty pool whenever there is a downpour of rain. Mr. Kingpin, our resident toad, now a blessing rather than an intruder - the lover that he is.