"If you punch enough holes in the earth, eventually it's gonna punch you back," Alwyn said jokingly, leaning over the bright orange railing.
Anni just shook her head, she'd heard it all before, about how bad it could be, about how dangerous it could get, she'd seen it, felt it and been front and centre for a lot of it. She'd been on these rigs since she was 6, working and living with her dad's and brother. This was her whole life.
"Yeah yeah, you and I both know it doesn't work like that, but I get the point," the tall girl replied quietly, leaning her back against the same railing, staring out into open waters.
Alwyn punched her arm teasingly, "you're better than this, you know? You're too good for this."
He was always telling her she deserved better, she could be or do anything she wanted, she had the means and the skills.
Anni just shook her head, looking out on the horizon, land was slowly coming in to view again, it had been 3 months since she'd seen land, the heavy lift vessel, the Boka Vanguard, was finally gonna be pulling into the port of Los Angeles to drop off the Ocean Princess drilling rig for refurbishment. Not before time, the thing was falling apart, having been battered by several weather systems in the Gulf of Mexico the past few years, some worse than others.
Anni didn't like to think about those, so she shook the thoughts off before they could cloud her mind more. She'd been quiet for a while, she'd better reply, even just to keep the peace.
"Give it up, I'll be doing this until they pull me off in a body bag," she said stretching her tattooed arms out in front of her, smirking slightly, because that was the honest truth.
The older man shook his head as he pushed himself off the railing, "you don't waste good, and you know you're good."
He wanted her to be happy, that's all he'd ever wanted for her, but he also didn't want her to stay put just because of him or anyone else. He didn't ever want to be the reason she was unhappy or wasn't pursuing her dreams.
Anni knew what he meant and he always meant well. He always put her wellbeing and happiness first. Her safety was his main priority, even if she didn't always appreciate it at the time, or the methods he used.
After all her whole life, to this point, had been defined by an accident that happened when she was only 5, her entire path was determined by what she lost as a child.
Tho, she always felt she gained a lot more than she lost, but you can't say that out loud because people tend to think you're heartless and cold. Anni didn't think it was cold to appreciate what you gained after a tragedy, to see the good in a situation, because looking back, she didn't want to imagine what she would be like if it hadn't happened.
Still, part of her longed to leave the rig and start a new life but the other part, the scared little girl inside her didn't want to lose yet another family.
Even tho she never voiced it, the old man next to her, along with 2 others were her lifeline, they meant everything to her and she'd take a bullet for all of them.
Magnus, Alwyn and Mark had been there since she could remember. They saved her from a terrible fate, some would say a fate worse than death. She couldn't face losing yet another father.
So she always changed the subject, avoided those conversations and averted her thoughts when they became too much.
She didn't hate the life she had. She loved it actually. She enjoyed being on boats and rigs, out in the open water where she felt almost normal. Almost free, she didn't have to hide. To her it was pure freedom, the salt air, the hum of the machinery, even the barking orders from Magnus over the loud speaker, telling the crew what they already knew.
