Updating for a special day.
I do not own.
The principal stared at the couple over his horn-rimmed glasses.
"I'm afraid, Mr. and Mrs. Salazar, that young Rafael's behavior is not acceptable." He said icily.
Rex squirmed a little while Circe sat stiffly. Rafael, who sat in between them, was the only one unaffected by the principal's words.
Circe cleared her throat. "Principal McKinney, we're not sure we understand what exactly Raffy did…"
"What Rafael did, Mrs. Salazar, is that he took the class pet and released it. Do you know the chaos it caused in the classroom? It took them hours to get the mongoose back into its cage. " The principal was getting red in the face.
"I'm sure it was an accident." Rex tried.
"NO!" Both parents jumped as he thumped his desk. "This is the fifth infraction this month alone!" The principal was starting to breath heavy. "One more and he will be expelled."
Circe and Rex gave each other worried looks.
0o0
Rex was walking up the stairs to talk to his son. He was tense and angry. When he got to the top of the stairs, his daughter blocked the way.
"Violeta, sweetie, I need to talk to your brother. Please get out of daddy's way." He said through gritted teeth.
"He's not a troublemaker, you know." She said pointedly.
Rex looked at her curiously. "What did you say?"
"Raffy, doesn't do things to be disruptive. If he does something it's always for a reason… a good reason. He's no dummy or delinquent." Violeta said firmly. "Remember that." With that, she turned around and walked into her room.
Rex stared at her daughter's door. He thought about what she said. His whole body language changed.
Rex knocked on his son's door. "Hey buddy, can we talk?" He asked cheerfully.
The door opened. Rafael didn't look upset. "Yeah dad?"
Rex walked into the room and sat on his bed. "You know we had a talk with your principal today." He said casually.
Rafael's face didn't change. "Okay."
"So why did you let the class pet loose?" Rex asked.
"It asked me to." Rafael said matter-of-factly.
"What?" Rex looked at him.
"Well, it didn't actually say let me out. But it was squeaking and scratching at the door. It looked like it really wanted to get out." Rafael said.
"But it disrupted the class." Rex said.
"That's because the kids started screaming and the teacher ran around trying to trap it. But the mongoose was trying to get to the radiators." Rafael said. "When it got there, it just crawled underneath. Then all the people gathered around yelling and screaming." Rafael shrugged. "It came back out by itself a few minutes later and went back to the cage by itself."
Rex frowned. "Really."
"Yeah, I told everyone they need to relax and that it probably needed to do something." His face fell slightly. "No one ever listens to me."
Rex suddenly felt bad. "Hey buddy, I'm listening."
"Great. Can we have tacos for dinner?" He asked brightening up.
"I'll let mom know." Rex got up. "Rafael, try to stay out of trouble, okay?"
"Okay." Rafael agreed.
0o0
"Why are we back at the school?" Circe asked.
"I have a hunch." Rex said shining a flashlight around the door. Placing his hand on the door, it bypassed the security and the door unlocked. They walked in.
"Security cameras?" Circe reminded him.
"I already got them." Rex answered indignantly.
They walked into Rafael's classroom. The mongoose raised its head to see who was walking in. Rex looked at the mongoose up close. It wiggled its nose and Rex noticed there were flecks of dried brown stains on its face.
"So what have you been doing?" Rex asked.
"Are you talking to the mongoose?" Circe asked incredulously.
"Not talking, just confirming something. It's just what I thought." Rex walked over the radiator. "Rafael said that the mongoose ran underneath here and then came out by itself a few minutes later. I wish we could see behind the walls."
To his surprise, Circe opened her mouth. Low vibrations came out.
"What are you doing?" Rex asked.
"Something I've been trying out. Now shut up and let me concentrate." Circe continues to shoot her sonic waves at the wall. When she finished, she turned to Rex. "There's something behind the wall."
Rex formed his Smack Hands. He ripped the radiator off the wall. Just behind the wall, was a dead rattlesnake.
"Oh gross." Circe wrinkled her nose.
"Ah ha!" Rex said triumphantly. "I knew Rafael wasn't just releasing things to be disruptive. He probably saved the lives of these kids."
"We have to let the principal know." Circe said.
"I can't wait to see his face." Rex said.
"How did you know?" Circe asked him.
"Well, Rafael's a good kid. I just had to be reminded of that." Rex said seriously. "I think we need to look at what all the things he do into a different light."
"You're right. We do have to remember that." Circe agreed. She wrapped her arm around his waste. "You're a good father."
He gave the side of her head a kiss. "I get lots of help." He admitted. "Come on, let's go."
Hope you are doing well.