No matter how long you do this job, one thing never gets easier: people leave and you stay. It’s somewhat impossible to explain to anyone who hasn’t been ship-side, but it’s truly bizarre. When someone debarks, they’re just…gone. Poof. Vanished. Instantly replaced. Name scrubbed from the system, time slot filled with someone else, cabin occupied with someone else the very next day. Within hours.
Sometimes you can get used to it, but with some people you never really do.
My big brother’s contracts are shorter than mine, always have been. And that’s just icky.
But it’s not like it’s to something we haven’t dealt with before. I helped roadie all his gear down to the taxi stand, watched him load it up into the car, hugged him goodbye, and then went back and started the new cruise.
The cool thing is? We have a really good department on this ship, and they circled the wagons in a way I’ve never really seen before in all my time out here – I mean, when I showed up for our weekly COD session (which I was instructed I had to go to, even if I only stayed an hour), next to my normal station is a stack of tissues, and sitting between the other two players is the massive supply of chocolate.
Hey sweetie, figured ya might need this…
And Agetien just holds the chocolate out, gives me a big hug…sits down and says
Okay then, let’s play…
Yup, I have good people.
That was so sweet of them. I’m glad you have good people.