Still everything goes well.

Except for the things you simply can't expect to happen.

Like finding a rattlesnake at your door. Early in the morning, while going to work.

I almost step on it, being half-asleep. I back away, close the door as fast as I can, and explain the situation to Ben.

He wants to have a look at it. I forbid him to open the door. I lean out the window, trying to check the snake's position.

It's still there. Blocking the way. It seems asleep, still, I don't dare to walk past it. Even less would I dare let my son pass by it.

After a few seconds of clueless standing around, I turn to the internet. I look up online what to do. The first hit in the search results is a local snake catcher guy. I call him immediately. No luck with him, he's busy somewhere else. He asks me if I moved into the city recently, then instructs me to wait until the snake goes away, not to prod it with a stick, or do anything stupid. When I explain to him that I don't have much time, he promises to pay me a visit in the afternoon. He also confirms that he's my only option in the area at the moment, so I should make some phone calls instead of fuming.

I take his advice.

I call Ben's teacher first. She's very understanding, not even demanding a reason for him skipping school. Then I call Ollie. She's not answering. Then Bill. He's on voicemail. Which means I have to call Mr. Warren. He picks up after the first ring. Just my luck.

"Sorry to disturb you, I'm calling you to report that I can't come to work today."

"Why?"

Well, I had no reason to think he would not ask, had I?

"There's a rattlesnake at my door," I answer reluctantly.

"Coming." That's all he says, then hangs up.

"Coming where?" I ask my uselessly beeping phone.

I have no idea what he meant by that. Maybe I just caught him in the middle of a sexual act, the worst moment possible. Or the best, from a different point of view.

In less than ten minutes there's a knocking on the door. After I rule out the rattlesnake as an option, I open it.

It's Mr. Warren.

"The snake's gone," he announces.

"Where?" I ask with some apprehension. "And what if it comes back?"

"It won't come back if we release it to the nature conservation area."

"We?" I ask, sounding doubtful.

"It's already in the car. Let's go."

I stare at him. Probably with an expression frequently used to calm down raging lunatics. He shrugs.

"What? Not just wriggling around. It's in a sack."

"What sack?"

"Does it matter?" he asks. "A sack I bought potatoes in, some time ago."

"So you picked up the snake, and put it in a sack."

"I did," he admits.

"The snake, that I should not disturb by any means, according to the snake guy."

"Look, I grew up around here, and I know how it's done. It's not that dangerous, and even if it bites you—"

"I hope you notice that you're not arguing with me." I shrug. "You're arguing with the snake guy."

"Okay. It's already done, so—"

"I also hope you're aware that I did not call you to catch a fucking snake, just to call in sick. Or absent. Or whatever."

"I am." He nods. "Come on, your son's already late for school."

I give up. I let him pick Ben's backpack up and usher us to his car. It's a silver Mercedes. Not too opulent and not too simple, a custom one, I guess, but looking absolutely dangerous. It's not the design, it's the content.

As soon as he opens the door, I scan the interior for the sack.

It's on the driver's seat. He carelessly picks it up and tosses it on the floor. Just under his feet.

I can't help but shiver when he gets in.

On the road, I watch the sack closely. Waiting for something terrible to happen. Not for long, though. After a few minutes, my attention is distracted by Mr. Warren's legs. He's so lean and strong. His legs look really spectacular while driving. Having the perfect excuse to ogle at him, my gaze slides up his knee, then up to his powerful thighs, all the way up, up to his—

"It won't come out," he says abruptly, but in a very reassuring tone.

For a second, I feel caught red-handed. After that first second, simply ashamed of myself.

"It really likes to be in there, you know," he carries on.

I feel my ears turning bright red. I close my eyes for a moment to compose myself, trying to get the mental picture out of my head. It's not easy.

When I succeed, I make a really strong promise to myself. Regarding the pointless drooling over my boss, which I should avoid at any cost. As well as ogling at the bulge... excuse me, the sack, with such overwhelming interest.

The school is only three minutes away, but Ben wants to see how the snake's set free. So Mr. Warren drives us both to the conservation area. I'm still busy chastising myself for the objectification of my boss, so I have no capacity to be scared. Other than of accidentally saying something ambiguous.

As it turns out, Mr. Warren was right. The snake really likes to be in there. Doesn't want to come out at all, it has to be shaken out of the sack. It's rattling like crazy, not appreciating the treatment. Ben's enthralled. He's jumping up and down, asking a lot of questions, even after the snake disappeared in the bushes. Mr. Warren answers them all. I translate when necessary, but they don't seem to need my help much. That's good.

After we drop my son at school, we head to work.

"Thank you." I turn to Mr. Warren. "You gave him a very nice experience. And a cool story to tell."

"How is he faring?"

"No problem with his studies."

"No doubt." He grins. "Intelligence comes from the mother's side, scientists say."

"But he's bullied."

"That was expected."

And that's it. Case closed.

"Yes, it was." I shrug, trying not to sound frustrated. Ms. Okoro has already told me quite a few stories about the local school. I know by now that I'm more than indebted to Mr. Warren for giving my son this opportunity.

Even if he's an insensitive prick.