There was a time I used to write letters on paper using a pen. Sometimes, I had to use color pencils when doing homework from art classes. If for some reason I had to stop what I was doing, I would notice that either my pen or pencil had disappeared. Wait, there it was! Zebe had it in his teeth. To get them back, I had to go through an intense chase and had to roll on the carpet under the sofa or bed. Eventually, Zebe would drop the instrument. I would then be panting while Zebe would be high up somewhere out of reach, laughing.

When we returned home after being out for a few hours, we noticed Zebe wasn’t exactly thrilled to see us. Actually, he resented us for leaving him alone. We started to take turns so there would always be one of us with him. Or, if possible, we would take Zebe with us when we needed to be out for a few hours. That proved to be a little stressful as he would escape from his cage; he liked to ride in the car looking out the window and we knew it was not safe. We did not want anyone to see him; we did not want to lose him.

I don’t remember how, we ended up with a small aquarium. What started off as three fish, ended as one blue female Gourami. Once, we left the top open after cleaning it. Zebe jumped on the edge of the tank and started to touch the water. He lost his balance and fell into it. He came out within half a second; he was a little scared and soaked but that did not discourage him from to trying to “talk” to the fish. When playing with us, Zebe would make both of us tired long before he needed a break. We wondered if Zebe needed a permanent companion, a squirrel friend.

The next time we met with the lady who gave Zebe to us, we expressed our desire to have another squirrel. After she stopped laughing, she said: “I am sure you know that if you have ONE pet squirrel, you have too many.” We knew but we were ready to do anything to keep Zebe happy so we asked her, in case she found another one that needed a home…. and that was the beginning of many years of utter insanity.