"Daddy, there’s something wrong with Penelope." Penelope is a rat. She lives in my daughter's room and likes to sit on my shoulder and snuffle in my ear. She watches while my daughter attends virtual high school. It's early morning and my daughter speaks to me with the voice of an eight-year-old. "Will you hold her? She looks so weak." Penelope had a sister, Nutmeg, who died just weeks ago. My daughter weeps while Penelope wheezes painfully. We've stopped going to restaurants. We don't see our friends. We skipped Thanksgiving. We still bury our pets. Penelope was a good rat.
Chris Grossmann lives in Raleigh with his wife and four daughters. Twitter: @drgomek