"Squeaky"

Curtis:  What's goin' on?

Me:  Well, we have some baby squirrels in our storage building in the back yard.

Curtis:  Oh really?  Baby squirrels are kinda fun.  We used to have some as pets. 

Me:  You did?

Curtis:  Oh yeah.  I was pretty little.  I'd say 5 or so.  One day, Carol Don, said he was climbin' up this Oak tree to get some baby squirrels 'cause the mama was gone.  You know, its West Texas, so the Oak trees aren't very big out there.  Well, Carol Don climbed on up there. He reached into that nest and that mama squirrel chomped down on his finger. Hehehe.  Like to took his finger off.  He jumped and fell outta that tree with the squirrel still on his finger.  I mean, she wouldn't let go!  Garland finally pulled out his pocket knife and cut its head off. They still had to pry the squirrels teeth off Carol Don's finger.  Like to scared me to death!

Me:  Wait a minute...you're telling me that squirrel was latched on so tight, your brother was able to grab it and cut its head off?

Curtis:  All the boys carried pocket knives back then.  They were sharp too.

Me:  That's horrific, dad.  Poor squirrel.

Curtis (unfazed by horrific mama squirrel death):  Anyway, after Garland cut its head off, Carol Don climbed back up and got the babies. There were 5 or 6 of them because I remember we each had a squirrel. We fed them pecans and milk. We had real cows milk back then so they grew fast. All of them ran off except for Garland's squirrel, "Squeaky."  He'd stay in the house with Mama while we went to school.  He liked to sit up on the top of the cabinets.  We'd leave him outside and in a little while he'd show up at the back door. He loved Garland. He'd follow him around everywhere.

Me:  He obviously wasn't holding a grudge against Garland for cutting his mom's head off.

Curtis: They're squirrels!  They don't know a damn thing.

Me:  What'd you call yours?

Curtis:  I don't know, "Spot" or something stupid like that. They turn into wild squirrels when they get older. You gotta get them when they're little little.

Me:  That's kind of a messed up story, Dad.

Curtis, Well, like I say, they're kinda fun.