Jerking himself upright, Travis quickly glanced around, looking for danger.  Sunlight was just cresting the distant mountains and the sky had an orange tint that spilled into the train car, giving just enough light for him to see the other occupants.  The subtle movement of the car as it moved down the tracks toward its destination matched the rattle of the aging equipment.  Slowly he released his breathe and calmed himself.

Realizing it was just one of many bad dreams, he rubbed his eyes and then rotated his head from side to side, allowing the cramped muscles to relax.  The trip had taken three days by train, but he should arrive in Seattle shortly.  The nightmares had nothing to do with the train ride or his destination.  Unfortunately, he rarely remembered the dream the following morning, just the sense of danger when he abruptly woke up.  Was it a premonition? ,Travis would often ask himself.  Yet another question left unanswered.

He reached down and pulled the last of his food from his pocket.  A portion of dried beef and a single small apple was all that remained.  But he would arrive in Seattle and be able to purchase a comfortable bed and a warm meal.  As he went to take a bite of the apple, he noticed on the adjacent bench a mother was sleeping soundly with her head up against the window while her son stared intently at the apple he was holding.  The boy appeared to be about five years old and had been well mannered during the long trip.  Travis moved the apple back and forth playfully, watching the boy’s eyes dart back and forth, never leaving the fruit.  After a few seconds, he stopped and watched as the boy’s eyes moved to meet his and confidently maintained eye contact.

Travis quietly asked “Boy, are you hungry?”  The young boy didn’t answer but simply maintained eye contact.  After several seconds of silence, Travis followed up with “You’re gonna have to speak up boy.”  Again, the boy made no movement or noise and simply stared back.  Finally, Travis shrugged his shoulders and feigned taking a bite of the apple.  A small voice broke the silence with “Yes Sir”.

Travis smiled and reached across the aisle, setting the apple on the bench, then with a flex of his fingers, the apple was sent rolling down to the waiting child.  As the apple approached, the boy made his first movement other than his eyes, when he reached out and snatched up the apple.  Travis’s smile broadened but instantly disappeared when he heard a woman’s voice say “Samuel, give that man back his apple!”  Looking up, the once sleeping mother was awake, shifting her glance between Travis and the young boy.  Samuel looked up at his mother with a pleading expression.  Travis said “Ma’am, the apple is his now.  What you do with it is up to you.  I meant no harm.”

Silence filled the car once again as both Travis and the young boy stared at the woman, waiting to see what her reaction would be next.  Finally, a smile crossed her lips and she said “Thank you sir, I can’t repay your kindness until we reach Seattle.  But I will repay you.”  With his mother’s approval, Samuel took a large bite of the apple, chewing rapidly, allowing a smacking sound to escape from his open mouth.  Travis’s smile returned and he responded “No repayment needed Ma’am.  You’re boy has been really well behaved on this long trip and that is much appreciated.” 

With that, he held up the last of his dried beef as an offering.   From the grimace on her face along with the side to side motion of her head, he knew she had no interest in the rations.  Shrugging, Travis turned to look out the window and watched the large pine trees rapidly pass by as he bit off a piece of the tough meat.  He slowly chewed, allowing his salvia to moisten the meat, making it somewhat edible.  His mind drifted to the new destination and a fresh start in Seattle.

Travis watched as the train navigated its way through town and approached  King Street Station near the heart of the city.  While the mid-day sun had burned away the sleepy fog of the morning, the ground was still covered in a layer of moisture that seemed to bring out the darkest of colors from within nature.  The dark browns of soil, the vibrant greens of grass, and bright paint of local shops that had used these colors to draw attention to their budding businesses.  By all accounts and from the hustle and bustle of people on the streets, Seattle was a thriving town.

As the train came to a stop, Travis wasted no time reaching up and grabbing his sole travel back from the overhead bin and heading toward the door at the end of the car.  Before he could take a second step, he felt a small hand reach out and grab pinky on his left hand.  Glancing down, he saw Samuel looking up at him with his mother, still seated, staring intently up at him.  A small voice said “My mom wants you to have this” and the boy handed Travis a neatly folded scrap of paper.  Looking from the boy to the mother, reflexively narrowing his eyes in confusing, she responded “I still mean to repay you for your kindness.  If you’re in town later this week, my husband and I would gladly appreciate having you over for dinner one night as repayment.”

The confused look quickly was replaced with a slight grin as Travis tucked the paper into his breast pocket and said “Thanks ma’am.  While no repayment is necessary, I truly appreciate your offer.”  With that, he tipped his hat, turned, and briskly headed toward the now open exit from the passenger car next to a waiting attendant.

Stepping off the train, it was almost like stepping into a new world.  He hadn’t expected the chill in the air, or the smell of saltwater from the nearby ocean.  A light wind was blowing from the direction of the bay and the streets were filled with noise from store keepers and patrons alike as they went about their business.

Quizzically, he asked himself a rhetorical question Well, you’re hear chap, now what are you going to do?  Seeing a general flow of people to the right, he assumed that would be toward the exit from the train station and out into the city center.  Merging into the flow of people, he found his way from the loading area, into the station itself, and then out onto Jackson Street, as the sign on the corner was labeled.  Looking around to get his bearings, he noticed a bulletin board on the corner of the station.

As he approached, he noticed a majority of the listings were for lost and found notices.  Some were old and nearly falling off the tack that held them in position while a couple appeared to be recently posted.  Then Travis noticed one that said:

SEATTLE SHIP YARD

NOW HIRING

Good Benefits, Pay Matches Risk

Inquire at Main Office at 399 Front Ave

Tearing off one of the tabs with the address, Travis secured it in his breast pocket next to the dinner invitation and turned to see the city.  First thing he needed was to find a reasonably priced room and get a warm meal in his belly.  Then, this afternoon, he would check into the SEATTLE SHIP YARD and see what they were offering.

Standing in front of a door painted with red paint, Travis looked up at the sign painted in blue that said “Seattle Ship Yard”.  Stuffing the piece of paper back into his pocket, he reached out, twisted the knob, and pushed the door inward, causing a creak from the old hinges as he entered.  A long counter ran the length of the room, separated in the middle by an opening.  Seeing a lady behind the counter with a name tag that said “Wanda” to the left logging entries into a ledger, he stepped up and waited patiently while she scribbled away diligently.  After several seconds, she looked up and said “Can I help you?”

Travis cleared his throat and said “I’m here to acquire about a job?” 

She replied “Ok, you will need to apply at the hiring counter.  It’s over there, please take a number and wait your turn and someone will be with you soon.”  She pointed to the other counter to the right that had a sign sitting on top that said “CLOSED”

Travis looked at the counter and glanced around the room, making note that aside from the lady, he was the only person in the room.  Walking over to the counter, he stood, waiting for someone to approach him.  A voice cut the silence as Wanda said “Take a number please…..Someone will get with you shortly!”  Travis glanced down and saw a wicker basket with numbers cards inside, with the top number being No. 23.  He grabbed a number and moved to sit in one of the chairs by the entrance and waited.

After about five minutes, Wanda closed her ledger book, slid it onto a shelf under the counter and walked to the counter marked with a “HIRING OFFICE” sign.  She flipped over the sign from “CLOSED” to “OPEN”, looked over at a stock of numbers hanging on a small stand with the visible one saying No. 22 and said in a loud voice “Hiring office is now open, No. 23 please”.  Travis looked around the room, feeling that surely someone was making him the focus of a practical joke.  After seeing no one else in the room, he stared at her as she proceeded to clean off the counter with a small brush.  This time her voice had an edge of frustration as she said “I don’t have all day….No. 23 please!”

Travis walked up and placed his number on the counter.  Never making eye contact, Wanda grabbed up the number, placed it on the holder, and pulled a clip board from behind the counter and handed it to him.  “Please fill out the application to the best of your ability.”  When you’re finished, please approach the counter and someone will come to assist you.  With that, she flipped over the sign from “OPEN” to “CLOSED” and walked back over to the first counter.

Travis shook his head and couldn’t help but allow a smile to purse his lips.  He walked over and began to fill out the application.  He filled in his name and used the old hotel as his address, but when he started looking at the positions, he was concerned as he had no idea what experience was required for these jobs.  He had never worked at a ship yard before and had actually grown up on a farm, tending to livestock and fixing fences.  The list included:

Welders/Solderer (Middle)                       Fabricator (High)                              Surveyor (Low)

Plumber (Low)                                   Finish Carpenter (Low)                         Laborer (High)                     

Electrician (Middle)                            Rigger   (High)                                 Other (?) ___________

Unsure what to mark, but knowing that he was not qualified for most of these positions.  He finally circled both the Rigger and Laborer occupations.  He walked over to Wanda and went to set the clipboard down when she glanced up and said “You’ll need to turn that into the hiring office.  I only deal with deliveries.”

Stepping back, Travis turned and walked back to the Hiring counter.  After a few minutes, Wanda made her way over, flipped back over the sign to show “OPEN” and said “Ok, great.  Any questions before I turn this into management for evaluation?”

Travis responded “Yes, actually, I do.  What do the words in brackets mean in relation to the job posting?  Specially, the Low, Medium, and High?”

Wanda quickly replied “Oh those are the risk level.  The port authority made us start including the risk level in the job description after a couple of fatalities a few months ago.  They also require us to include hazard pay for those in the high risk classification.  Guess you’re going after the big bucks, choosing two of the riskier positions.  Well, we can’t all live forever, can we?”

Pulling the application from the clipboard, she turned and laid it on a large oak desk directly behind the counters.  Turning to Travis, Wanda said “Management should have the review completed shortly.  Feel free to wait or walk around and check in later.  You’re choice.”

Having a sneaking suspension of what was going to happen, Travis walked over and sat down and waited.  Watching Wanda, she first flipped the sign to “CLOSE” before returning to her other counter.  Then after completing the filing of several documents, she closed the drawer, straightened herself, brushing her clothes straight, and then with chin held high, walked over and sat down at the large oak desk.  Once seated, she picked up the application and began to read it, as if for the first time.  Periodically, she would say “Ahem” under her breath and make a mark on the paper with a pencil.

Finally, she stood and walked over to the hiring counter, flipped over the sign to “OPEN” and called out “Is there a Travis Kennedy in the room?”  Instinctively, Travis looked around the room again, verifying that he was the only one present.  Then he raised his hand reluctantly, which caught her attention.  “Yes, Mr. Kennedy, please step up to the Hiring counter please”.

Travis slowly approached the counter, knowing in the back of his mind that this had to be a joke.  Once in front of Wanda, she said “Mr. Kennedy, we are currently not hiring for either of the positions you have applied.  Thank you.  By the way, it’s too bad that you didn’t apply for the parts runner position”.

As she started to flip the sign back over to “CLOSED”, Travis, now frustrated said “Ma’am, I don’t know what type of game you’re playing.  I just need a job.  Are you saying you have an opening for a parts runner?  I’ll take it.”

Acting taken back by his insinuation, Wanda retorted “I’m not playing games, Mr. Kennedy.  If you would like to apply for the position, you will need to fill out an application and…” as she sets down the sign onto the counter that says “CLOSED” she continues “you can see the Hiring office is closed for the day”.

Slamming his fist on the counter, Travis glares at the woman and says “Ma’am, I’m not in the mood for these games.  I just spend three days on a train to get here.  I need a job.  You have a job.  I’ll be here in the morning to fill the position.  Do you have a problem with that?”

Maintaining eye contact, he simply stared back, showing no compromise in his expression.  After about 30 seconds, she responded, “You don’t even know what the position pays?” followed by an evident hard swallow as she calmed herself.

“Ma’am, I’m sure the pay is commensurate to the risk.  Am I hired or not?”

Clearing her throat and allowing a smile to form on her face, she said “Welcome aboard Mr. Kennedy, you’re HIRED!”