Loneliness

Like Ships passing in the night.

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The mood was one of finality. The workday was done. The sun was setting, and the last ferry of the day was returning to the island. There was still much to do; The crane was to be driven on, then off of the ferry- both at some peril. The ferryman needed to be paid for making this one last trip especially for the crane. It was too large to be transported with other vehicles, so it needed to have a special trip planned just for it. The crane needed to be parked and secured, as evening was fast approaching, and per government regulations can’t be driven at night. Then the counterweight truck which was waiting for me on the other side had to be boarded and driven back to the yard. It was at least a one hour trip, then another twenty minutes home from there. Though my day was far from over, the mood of finality still prevailed.

The lake was still, a significant contrast to the way it churned that afternoon. As is typical for an island in the middle of a large lake, the hot summer sun goes hand in hand with relatively strong winds on the treeless beach. These were the conditions of the day, making crane work not impossible, but more difficult. Two large buildings were being installed, and the larger the surface that hangs suspended from a crane, the more it catches the wind. Adding to the difficulty, the ground was soft, and difficult for the crane to traverse. It had rained the day prior, turning already soft sandy dirt into greasy, slippery earthen mud. The kind of mud where the farther you walk in it, the taller you get- as it sticks to the bottom of your shoes more and more with every step until your feet become too heavy to walk, and you have to kick yourself clean.

The crane first had to be driven through the mud, and set up. After this, the building was to be delivered to the crane on a semi which proved rather difficult as well considering the mud, and inexperience of the driver. Next, the building was to be put in place, complicated by the wind. The crane then had to be moved closer to the second area so the rest of the process could be repeated. The person in charge of the job was hopeful that the crane could be set up only one time in order to save time, but this was not so, there was too much distance between buildings for this, the crane had to be moved. The ferryman was only willing to work so late, so the job had a deadline. Moving the crane- especially in the mud took more time than the person in charge had budgeted for. The unplanned move time, the uncooperative wind, the inexperienced truck driver, and the heat of the day all took their toll on the person in charge. His mood that afternoon was as hot as the summer sun.

The evening was upon us, and much like the wind, the passions of my fellow tradesman had settled. There were still people about; Those who both worked, and lived seasonally on the island closing up shop at the ferry port, the rare local out for a stroll, surprised at the unusual late night activity by the water, and the crew members from my work project. People I’d never met before, and would likely never see again, but for those several hours during the day, interacted with as though we had known each other all our lives. They were in that moment as separate from me and my thoughts as I was from theirs. If I had suddenly disappeared from the planet, it is doubtful that even one of them would notice until there was no one there to drive the crane on the ferry. Nor would I have likely noticed if one of them had ceased to exist. I would have gone about the rest of my day, and forgotten them entirely.

It’s a strange dynamic between a work crew and a crane operator. To the crew, the operator goes from utter nonexistence, immediately to one of the most important people with whom they interact- one who at times literally holds their lives in his hands, back to someone whom they wouldn’t so much as recognise if they passed each other on the street. The time was the latter. They had saved a quantity of beer in a cooler all day for this very moment. The job was done, and they were eager to drink, and talk of glory days passed, and I was left to watch the ships go by. It was a solitary feeling- solitary, but not somber. I enjoy being with people, but I also enjoy being alone. The mood was as beautiful as the scene, so I decided to capture them both.