Worst debug ever

That morning.
Maybe ten years ago.
I am carring my backpack with my technician's tools.  You know, screwdrivers and CD's.
It would be a no so short trip to the customer's city, reachable by train, so I stepped into a bar to take a coffee to gain some strength... and courage.
A nap in the train (yeah, it wasn't so hard, I like drama), then I was ready to the fight.

It's a family business. After saying hi to everyone I left my backpack in a corner under the coat rack, then started the journey: PC by PC, user by user, listening symptoms "It is slower than yesterday", dramas "I lost my yesterday spreadsheet!", checking erratic outlets, and my favorite type "how to".  Feeling useful, I spend the rest of the morning doing things like these.
Then here she comes. The daughter. Very pretty and nice girl.  The month before I disabled all the fancy stuff of her new notebook with Windows Vista... and she looked... well... content... if I have to put a word to her resignation.
Now she was carrying the face the kind of "I have a task to give to you" so I immediately thought "She wants me to install the old and trusty XP".
But no.
Hell, no.
"We were looking for you.  You need to go to the backyard and check your backpack"
What can I say or even guess from that.  So I kept listening.  She started nicely, then her face slowly started to turn green, not angry but... disgust? no. Nausea... maybe. Revulsion?
"Not one, but four cockroaches..."
Escaping from my backpack!
I wanted to run.
I couldn't move.
It's not just embarrassing. It's...
Eventually I could move and go watch. The backpack was in a chair, in the middle of the backyard, like radioactive. I wished.
Slowly first,  then firmly, I started to dismantle the device. Didn't explode, what a pity.
The most thorough debug ever. While thinking...  Where did they come from...  From home?  Impossible. No, no way, they are happy there, they wouldn't ever leave me.  The bar! I left the bag on the floor.  The wagon?  It's not the cleanest metropolitan train.
But... who cares.  Nobody would care the nationality of those stowaways.
Emptied all the sacks and pockets and holes and... no, no bugs left.
Is there a small wall to climb? No, I have to walk trough the main door.
So, I put the pack in my shoulder and walked into the building with confidence. For a moment a hoped for a "¡Que la inocencia te valga!" Fool's day.  No luck.
One employee sees me and comes smiling.  First test.  I smile back.  He looks like he wanted to say something, then he thinks anything would be too much then continues walking like if nothing happened.  I still don't know if a preferred a plain laugh.  Another employee, the same.  The third.  Too many employees.  Finally I walk into the main office.  She smiles (formal smile), I say "Listo". All set. My backpack firmly on my shoulder to emphasize.  She says "todos contentos entonces" everyone happy. I got it, she is referring to my regular tasks, not THAT one.  A quick check, then I can leave.
Back in the train, my backpack is not on the floor but in my lap.  I have the afternoon free, but I still have a pending task.
Back home, a census to do.
 

   

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