The first section I want to see is the machine
shop. This is the work I did when I first started my working life and being
back in a machine shop always gives me a feeling of coming home again. I find long
rows of every machine tool you can imagine. From the smallest to the very
largest. There are hoists overhead on rails that move back over the machines to
bring the larger pieces of metals or castings to be machined. I can smell the
familiar oils and cooling fluids. A good smell. And I go through a separate
section of the very precision machine tools. Some machines have machinists operating
them. Occasionally there are a few machinists consulting. When I wander too
close they look over at me with amusement. Along the wall is a series of
sections separated by dividers between that go up about six feet high. These
are the machinists’ personal work areas. Each has a large work table for tool
boxes to one side. They also each have a precision flat surface for measuring,
and some other tools. On the other side of the areas is a desk with a computer
on top. Some machinists are seated at the computer. Others are standing at
their tool bench. I don’t see anyone who looks like a supervisor. I don’t
bother anyone either.
In other parts of the manufacturing section I see
large rooms with large tables in the middle. Some have a project on the table
with one or more engineers working on them. I also find rooms that have been
sealed off with glass walls and doors that have locks and warnings posted not
to enter. Inside I see engineers in special suits working on projects. This is
the stuff that goes out into space. These are most important because that is
what Nation’s Capital wants most. And we are the only ones who know how to make
them. I like that!
I walk back towards the entrance. Jaemes and
several others are standing by the large flat table. The doors open and a small
group walks in, bunched up close together and taking very small steps. One who
is in the lead is carrying a large roll of papers far out in front of him. These
must be the plans for a project. I move back at a distance and sit at a bench
along the wall where I can watch. Jaemes greets the group and motions to the
table. The lead man places the roll of papers on the table and unrolls them out
so they can be seen, then jumps back to his group. Several of Jaemes group
places small weights at the corners of the plans so they stay open on the
table. The group that came in with the plans move with the same short steps back
away from the table and stand brunched up close again. They look worried. One
of the machinists sits down next to me and grins. I see several machinists
standing in a group across near a machine tool row looking amused.
Jaemes and several of his group look at the plans.
They take some time and sort of shake their heads back and forth, and at times
one of them will give the group that brought in the plans a worried look. That
makes them look even more worried and they take more short steps farther back. Jaemes
motions over to the group of machinists and several walk over. They join Jaemes’
group and all do more talking among themselves. There is a lot of pointing at
the plans and moving hands about. They give the other group more worried looks.
That group moves even closer together. There looks to be some arguing between
the machinists and some in Jaemes’ group. More talk and after some time more
shaking of heads, but now up and down. After some more low talking they all
come to some conclusion and nod to each other. Then Jaemes looks over to the
other group and nods his head. They look very relieved and in a bunch turn and move
towards the entrance, all looking back towards the table. The group at the
table smiles at them and wave as they go out through the door. The door closes
and after a pause the groups at the table all have a good laugh together.
This has been an interesting day. I walked out of The Center
a very happy person now. I spend the evening looking at lists of houses for
sale.
The next morning Jaemes tells me what I will be
doing now. ‘You will be working on a project Center is doing out at Coast.
You know, out close to The Pier. We are building them a new Mega Re-Decelerator.
Highly secret. Basin got a new Mini
and few years back and so Coast needs
to have a Mega of course. This is an important project for them, and us. A Mini
would be enough but we aren’t going to tell them that. Like they don’t know
already. Anyway, we will build them their Mega. It will have to take space in
at least two buildings there. After a few more days here you will be working
back and forth between the Center and
Coast. You are going to be out there
for a long time. The parts of some of the project are standard. But for the
most important parts we will have to make them ourselves.’ So my responsibility
will be to get the device assembled and to determine what parts are needed. And
to work with the machinists back at the Center
in getting these vital parts made. I say that ‘I can make some of these parts
myself.’ Jaemes agrees but adds ‘be wise. Make the simple routine parts
yourself. Let the senior machinists make the more complicated parts. Even if
you could do better or faster. Or if you think you could do better or faster.
Let them do it. At first anyway.’
I was only out at Coast university once before. So I will go out and look around before
I go out there for work.
***
And so, as
I say, my first full week of ‘real life’ is ended. I slept late on this first
day off I am ashamed to say. After I woke up I did some chores, laundry, and so
on. And on to the Library as I wrote earlier. And this evening I said I was
going to watch an episode of the Scrupps
and I will do as I said I would do. So I put back the newspapers, pick up my
journals and leave.
I remember
some of the earlier episodes I could not finish watching. In a family night out
Daddy Scrupps got lost walking out of the restaurant when he could not find
where they had parked the car. In the other the family went hiking and Mama
Scrupps brought high-heeled shoes along to hike in. But it had been some months
now. So tonight I determined to watch a whole episode, keep an open mind. I
will have discipline.
So Daddy,
Momma, and several of the kids are looking for a letter Daddy received a week
or so before about a job he applied for. Letter has a phone number he has to
call by the end of the day to get the job. Daddy insists that he put it in the
locked cabinet they have in the living room. He would not be careless with it.
Nobody can find the key, a lot of looking in drawers for the key with yelling
and arguing. For every incident in the plot there is recorded laughter. Just
then they receive a phone call, which Daddy answers. It is the people asking
about why they haven’t heard back from Daddy about the job, and they have a
phone number to call before the end of the day if he still is interested. Daddy
says yes and will write down the phone number. Asks someone to bring pencil and
paper. Nobody can find pencil and paper. They are scrambling looking through
drawers again. Yelling and arguing. One of the kids gets the idea that they can
use part of the paper bag they have under the sink for garbage to write on.
They take the bag out and tear a part off to write on and the bag slips and the
garbage spills all over the floor.
Now to find
a pencil or pen. Where is the pencil, they all saw it several days ago. They
run around looking, banging into one another and slipping on the garbage on the
floor. Then one of the kids remembers that the pencil is stuck into one of the
soft tiles on the ceiling where he tossed it up several days earlier. They get
a step ladder, more running into each other, and all the time Daddy asking the
person on the other end of the phone to wait just a little longer. Kids argue
about who is going up the ladder to get the pencil and so several try at the
same time and the ladder falls and the tip of the pencil get broken off. Now
they are trying to sharpen the pencil, each getting in the other’s way. Pencil
tip keeps getting broken off. Mamma
grabs the children and says that they will all have to remember part of the
phone number and write it in the dirt in the back yard.
Daddy tells
one of the kids the first two numbers and he runs out, then the next kid the
next two numbers, and then Mamma two and then he remembers the final numbers
himself and thanks the caller and joins the others in the yard. All have
written numbers in different places in the yard. Can’t remember which kid wrote
the first numbers so they argue about that. Nobody can tell the order the
numbers go in. And one of the kids accidentally walked on and erased another
kid’s numbers in the dirt. And so they can’t even try different number
combinations to call. They all go back in the house arguing again. Then they
fall over each other trying to break into the cabinet. They break open the door
and find old unpaid bills, scrap paper, but no letter. By then deadline for the
phone call has passed. Daddy sits back in his favorite chair and finds the
letter down by the side of the chair cushion. More recorded laughter. So the
episode ends with such wisdom as ‘maybe it was not meant to be’ and ‘things
always work out for the best’ and hugs and tears and how they are still
‘family.’ And a long recording of people clapping their hands together and
cheering ends the episode.
Now that
article I read in the Library makes more sense. There had
been some criticism that there were no Descendant or Sonoran characters in the Scrupps series. Descendent and Sonoran
leaders answered. ‘No. That was OK. They were not in any way offended that they
were not represented.’
I will have to be very careful of what I say if I
ever see Reuben again.
***
(continued on Page 5)
Thomas
McDonald,
Arroyo
Country, 2015 ©