Redemption

Received (Old Version)

"I should get a different job."

I said offhandedly to my friend next to me who didn't appear to be listening to anything I said, neither was Mason to the left of me but he at least had an excuse, he had to listen for any night-flying airplanes returning from air-patrol or traveling from a different country to re-navigate or help land, but the last time that had happened was three hours ago.

What I had said though was apparently enough to warrant his half-hearted attention, as I could tell by his tired eyes.

"Wait, really?!" He said rather dumbfoundedly.

"Yeah..." "But why? I thought that you liked working as an air-traffic controller," he said gesturing to the open log book in front of me.

"I do..." "Then why?" He asked rather interested, I just stared at him as tiredly as I could and said, "Its because of the long hours we have to work without getting relieved, it's seriously messing up my sleep-schedule."

He just looked at me and chuckled and said, "Yeah, I guess so, what time did we get on?"

"10:00."

"And what time are we supposed to get off?" "Five in the morning." "And what time is it now?" He said looking out the morning sun rising through the morning mist.

"7:26," He looked at me incredulously for a second and then looked at the clock, staring at it for just a second before looking back at me.

"I think I see what you mean now." He said dead-faced which I gave a quick laugh at before turning back to Mason, nudging him and saying "So what time do you think you'll get off Mason?" I asked knowing that he'd know the answer.

He just smiled at me, took off his headphones, placed them on the table, turned off the radio, picked up his briefcase and said "Right now actually," and then there was a knock at the door.

We both just smiled at him over how many times he had done this, just all of a sudden pack up his things and let in the next person who would take over his shift as if he had known exactly when they were coming, it was honestly creepy the first few times but after learning that he had worked here for over fourteen years it made sense in a weird sort of sense.

He opened the door and just like clockwork, had made his way by the new kid Alexander who had started working here almost a week ago and without looking up at him said "Your turn now, Alex."

Alex just looked at him weirdly in return and said "You're a creepy old man, Mason," to which he just responded with as he was walking down the stairs "Yeah, yeah..." and with that Alex closed the door.

We both watched as Alex set down his own briefcase and set himself up at his station, removing his hat and putting on the headphones, "Why does he even bother turning all this stuff off if he knows exactly when I'm going to be here?"

We both just laughed at him and I said "Don't you worry to much about it, we both think that guy's been working this type of job far longer than he says he does. Besides, we'd both be doing the same thing if those partners of yours would actually bother to get here on time."

Dylan laughed a bit harder next to me and said "Oh, there's truth to that! Speaking of, what time did they say they were arriving again?"

Alex just looked at us both seriously, "They didn't, I tried giving them call like I did yesterday but they both just hung-up on me."

"Oh those two overprivileged college students, they don't know how good they have it, they're both getting fired for sure." Dylan said to Alex before turning back towards his station leaving Alex looking a bit worried for himself so I reassured him and said "Don't worry yourself about it, they're not going to fire you. Unlike them you actually try to show up to work on time you just need time yourself to adjust to it, just keep being a good egg and you'll be just fine."