Deer, Meet Teen. Teen, Meet Deer.

Just as Tom, Kat and I were finishing dinner this evening, the phone rang. I picked up the receiver, ready to hand the phone to Tom, since his mother's call arrives like clockwork every Sunday evening. Instead of seeing her name on the Caller ID display, though, I saw Aleks' cell number and answered immediately.

"Mom"? Aleks' voice was shaking. "I just passed out."

"What?! Where are you? Are you OK?" The only thing worse than getting a call like this from your kid who you know is on the road is getting it from a stranger. Fortunately, I was talking to Aleks and he was talking to me, so I knew that, at least in terms of "worst scenario," things were OK.

"I'm OK, but I almost just killed a deer. And I almost just crashed the car. And I almost just killed myself. And I'm really shaky."

"OK, slow down, Aleks," I said slowly, trying to calm down my own beating heart. "In fact, are you driving right now?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"As soon as it's safe, pull over," I suggested. (No -- I demanded.) "Then take a breath and tell me what happened."

At that point, it all came spilling out. Aleks can be dramatic when he has a good story to tell, but this evening no extra drama was necessary. It turns out that Aleks was delivering pizzas (his new job) on a steep, dark, forested road. As he drove down the hill, a deer suddenly appeared immediately in front of his car -- like a few short feet in front of it.

If you haven't seen a deer lately, there are two things you should know. First, they are HUGE. Certainly taller than a small Ford sedan and heavier than you might imagine from any holiday lawn decorations you've observed in your neighborhood. And second, when encountered on a road they are dangerous, whether they suddenly leap in front of your car (as is what happened to Tom 10 years ago; that totalled our car, but Tom was fortunately unhurt) or whether you just come upon them standing paralyzed in the roadway, the proverbial "deer in the headlights."

That's the deer that greeted Aleks this evening. Aleks attributes his quick reaction time to the two Red Bull he drank on the way to work (grrrr!). He swerved to avoid the deer, then he swerved to avoid a tree... and another... and who knows what else. Who knows, indeed -- because as soon as the car came to a stop, he hyperventilated and passed out! When he came to (most likely almost immediately), the deer was gone. That was good news for the deer.

Aleks was OK. That was good news for Aleks and well... for US!

And the car hadn't crashed. That was good news for our already sky-high insurance rates.

Aleks decided to drive on (ever the diligent employee!), and to call us. After telling him to pull over, I suggested that he call his boss and tell her what happened and let her know he'd be a few minutes. She was, of course, understanding.

Tom and I immediately drove to Aleks, where he was still sitting in the car, calm enough now to tell us the whole story -- this time with his characteristic humor and story-telling flare. Apparently Aleks and the deer had a reckoning in the split second that their eyes met and both lives were spared. Aleks is sure that his story is better than the deer's -- though I certainly feel for Mrs. Deer.

Encountering a 17-year-old pizza delivery guy in the middle of your road in your forest when you're minding your own business late at night has to have been pretty dang unnerving for the little -- er, I mean enormous -- fella!