Intermission // Van McCann

24. Change Is a Good Thing

We were nearing the 45 minute mark and decided to make our way back to the dock. That was the most serene 45 minutes of my life. Just sitting in a wooden rowboat in the middle of the lake, listening to the low chatter of tourists and the calmness of nature. I could see why this was a popular tourist attraction. You don't have to be the outdoorsy type to appreciate how beautiful nature is.

The employee saw us approaching and held our boat in place as we gently hit the dock. He held the boat still as we clambered off the boat one by one. Van held me steady as I stepped off. I was thrilled to be back on solid ground and I hugged my coat around me tighter.

After the boat ride, we decided to walk around the perimeter of the lake. We meant to try to walk as much as we could but we found ourselves stopping every once in a while to take pictures and watch the lake water lap up. We couldn't help but stop by the chapel for more pictures and to take a look around. We only had half an hour left so we decided to stop by the gift shop. It was nice to get away from the cold for a little bit. When we only had five minutes left, we found a nice quiet spot to disappear in and waited for the time machine to bring us back. Right on the dot, we could see the scene around us blurring and Iván turned to face us.

"I always feel relieved when you all come back," Iván told us. There was no doubt that power outage scarred Iván for life. He was always anxious when it was just him on the outside and I don't blame him. Even I feel anxious whenever I'm transported and brought back.

"So how was it?" Iván continued.

"It was absolutely gorgeous!" Bondy beamed, taking his coat off. We all did the same as we were starting to overheat. "I definitely want to go back some day."

"To propose to Leigha?" Van added, raising his eyebrow in a knowing manner.

"Shut up Van."

Iván sat at the edge of his chair. "Are you—?"

"No!" Bondy cut him off. "We've been together less than a year! Van is being an arse."

After the chatter died down, we went to eat lunch at the tacquería that Iván loved. This will possibly be our last group lunch at work. Not that that'd stop us from meeting up but our lunch meetups will be far and few in between. There's no telling how busy things will be at SpaceX. His salary might be high but there's a cost that comes with it. It's normal for engineers to work more than 40 hours a week and they don't get paid overtime. The job is probably mentally and physically exhausting. It wasn't going to be easy for Van but I knew he was going to learn a lot and it would look great on his resume.

While the waiter took our order, Bondy snuck in a margarita. Van shook his head and ordered one himself.

"I'm gonna miss this," Van spoke in a low voice and you could see he really meant it on his face. He's been working in this lab for years. Although the pay may not be the highest, it's a interesting job with great people who are like family. This workplace is flexible too, allowing people to do other projects while still being paid. You can't find any other job like it, I guarantee it. "Are yous gonna replace me?" he asked.

As silly as his question was, I knew he was being serious. We're going to be down one person and I don't know if Bondy is going to look for his replacement. The thought of being replaced worried Van even though no one would be able to replace him.

"I've already talked to the board about your departure and the need to find a replacement. I already have the paperwork started," Bondy answered. "But if you're wanting to come back, there's no doubt we'll take you back in a heartbeat. But something tells me you won't be coming back."

Van turned to look at Bondy. "You don't think I'll come back?"

Bondy shook his head no. "This is an excellent career opportunity for you. This is SpaceX we're talking about and you're going to learn loads. You're gonna love it there that you're not going to want to come back. This job is so fitting. It utilizes your knowledge and experience and will push you to your limits. It will be challenging but the reward will make everything worth it."