Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 "Oh my," Dr. Gomez sighed. "That's exactly what Mom said," Michael replied. Dr. Gomez turned to look at his wife. "How long have you known?" "Just since last night," Mrs. Gomez answered. "We had originally planned on telling you after you got home from work today." "Well, this is huge." Dr. Gomez jumped up and started pacing the floor of Michael's bedroom. "There are a lot of people out there who will be interested in Merle and Pearl, and not all of them will have good intentions. We need to make sure the squirrels stay safe." "I like the sound of that," Merle said. "Plus, it's not only people we have to worry about. Your kitty cat's intentions are also not that great." Merle was referring to Mr. Nemesis, the Gomez family's cat, who was not at all happy about having to share his house and people with a couple of ancient rodents. Since Merle and Pearl had arrived, Mr. Nemesis had spent a lot of time shut up in Jane's room. "We'll need to install a security system," Dr. Gomez said. "I'll pick one up on Monday after work."

Michael liked the idea of a security system, but he was worried about the squirrels staying at home by themselves before it got put in. "Maybe I should take Merle and Pearl with me to school on Monday, since Mom and Jane will be at school." Mrs. Gomez taught part-time at Jane's preschool. "Yes!" Merle exclaimed. "Chicken nuggets!" Merle was fond of accompanying Michael to school, where this wonderful and exotic dish (to Merle) was a staple on the lunch menu. It even made up for having to stay crammed inside Michael's backpack most of the day. "That's probably our best option, at least until the security system is up and running," Dr. Gomez said. "I know I can't bring them to work. But be careful, and either Mom or I will need to drive you to school." "We can't do this forever!" Michael said. "What are we going to do in the long run?" Dr. Gomez sighed. "That's what I need to figure out."