„You look like you do this since forever."
_-_-_-_-_
Daniel Ricciardo is 35 years old and his life change in few seconds. It was his best drive since he left Red Bull but it end up with accident and now he had to left Formula one world.
His parents...
That was his life. He didn't own many things, and when he finally did, it was helmets or trophies.
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After they returned from a tour around the zoo, where his mother tried to show him all the animals the zoo had, as well as the places where she and his father worked, Daniel met with the zoo director.
Mark Webb was an older man, around sixty, with hair that still shone brown, though some strands were turning silver, a sign that he was considered a retiree by the younger generation. He was in good physical shape, maintaining a slim body and eating healthily, which made him feel fit, not just look it.
"Daniel Ricciardo, welcome to our zoo," Mark smiled at him as Daniel entered his office with his mother by his side. The office was located in the main zoo building. The ground floor housed a restaurant where anyone could eat, and employees received significant discounts. The rest of the building consisted of offices, mainly the HR, PR, and accounting departments. Webb's office was on the top floor and included a small balcony overlooking a large part of the zoo.
"Good day, thank you, you have a very beautiful zoo," Daniel returned the smile. The zoo was indeed beautiful, even he had to admit, despite his reluctance to work with animals. Everything was well-organized, and it was evident that each animal was cared for with the highest priority. The zoo was also modern. But this still didn't convince Daniel, who wanted to return to Monaco and train for the upcoming race.
"Did Grace show you everything?" Webb asked, sitting down in his swivel chair.
"Yes, she tried to show me around," Daniel nodded, "I don't know how much I'll remember tomorrow, but I'll try not to be a burden, as I know how demanding this job can be." Daniel vividly remembered the times when he was little, and his parents had to leave for work even in the middle of the night because something went wrong. Zookeepers might have it a bit different, but veterinarians had more than enough work and had to be constantly on call. His father, a zoo technician, was also very busy and was home even less than his mother—one of the reasons Daniel didn't want this job.
He didn't want a job that would take all his time, which was ironic considering his job involved traveling the world for races, spending at least five days away when all the duties piled up, and being home even less than his parents. But Daniel enjoyed traveling and didn't mind being away from home. Though he didn't spend all his free time at home in Monaco, it never stopped him from finding a girlfriend. He had a few, but none stayed because they couldn't handle the constant traveling.
"Alright," Webb nodded, "tomorrow I'll assign someone to introduce you to this world, and we'll start with the animals to see where you fit best."
Daniel wasn't looking forward to the coming days. He knew it wouldn't be easy, as he was well aware of how hard it was to care for animals. Even taking care of a dog or a cat is challenging if you want to do it properly, so he couldn't imagine how complicated it must be with the exotic animals the zoo had.
