Brendan was feral. If he were alive today I think he’d  probably live off grid or in a converted bus. He loved nature and animals and was known for liberating caged creatures from various pet stores across Long Island. One day, When we were in our in very early 20s we had taken our usual trip to the mall and on the way home he asked if i’d stop at some mom and pop pet shop, so I did. Immediately after we walked in I knew he was up to something ridiculous but I rolled with it as per usual. Bren asked me to distract the cashier and then he headed towards the back of the store. Before I was  able to strike up a conversation with the kid behind the register a loud BANG followed by the sound of things tumbling filled the store as Brendan sprinted towards the exit. I followed.  We hop in my now escape vehicle, he extends his clasped hands towards me and opens them to reveal some sort of rodent. This type of impromptu  escape mission was a regular occurrence on our outings. Just wait till I tell you about the time he shoved a whole ferret down his pants and walked out of Pet Supplies Plus on Old Country road…