Mannunni
I am an STBAMBIN (Supposed-To-Be-A-Mal-But-Is-Not) and I am fascinated with many things typically Mal. Names, accent, their fact that they always "purchase", never "buy", the unforgettable shake of the head and so on. So, in this context I found myself co-habiting with a pet-in-law called Mannunni.
Mannunni is apparently the malayalee equivalent of Suppandi (from Tinkle) and you I assume is a male. The pet-in-law in question is a female squirrel about 2 and a half months old and her cranial abilities far surpass common expectations. So much for the misnomer.
Mannunni has currently taken up residence in my bedroom where she spends most of the day methodically destroying the window curtains. She also has her own bedroom (a cardboard box) which she uses between 8:00 pm and 7:00 am. She loves to sit and scamper around human shoulders and she shows her love by pissing copiously on your back. Of late she is particular about whose shoulder she wants and she prefers my wife to me. Considering the shirt-changing-due-to-pissing and the scratches on your hands and neck make you look like an unsuccessful rapist, I am happy with Manunni's preference.
She eats carrots, cashew nuts, peanuts, badam, fingers, toes, buttons, etc., Her concept of playing is to lie on her back and get scratched on her tummy while she meditatively chews on your fingers. She gets irritated if your fingers are not available and will glare at you before retiring to her favorite window curtain.
With a view of restricting household items that her teeth can access, she is confined to the bedroom most of the time except when one of us is free to play with her in the living room or balcony. This results in a highly energetic squirrel hiding behind the bedroom door waiting for unsuspecting people to open the door and walk in. Before you know what's happening, she is on your shoulder and will refuse to get off until you take her outside the bedroom.
Like all pets, she manages to get into most conversations we have and we have also realigned our daily routines to meet her requirements. So Mannunni is what is happening in my life right now.
