Doulos Hope Diaries: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1/4)

We were seated opposite a man in his forties (later known as Mark Arram) and a large German boy in his twenties (later known as Lukas the German Baker)...(actually I'm not sure if he was even there at that time. Just that some strange faces were around the table.)

And the question was asked, "Only one person can be in the Galley; who wants to be in the Galley?"

I saw my two friends looking at each other uncertainly, and I realized that I did not want to lose my only opportunity of being stationed in the Galley. I also wanted to make my parents proud.

"Me!" I said, and then added "Please." Just in case, for some wild reason they still had to consider me, the added 'please' would help me get my foot further into those Galley doors.

"Wonderful, alright!" said Mark Arram, beaming. I beamed back. I would later find that his beam was not so much a happy beam, but a very polite smile. "Lukas will now..."

And his voice droned away as I realized..."Oh my word, I'm in Galley."

I reported to Steven Loh, a very straightforward Chinese guy who showed me a lot of the Galley ropes.

I didn't know what to do, and there were no checklists, so I did anything Steven told me. Which was a lot of cleaning. But I didn't mind. You had to work your way up in the kitchen, and it was only my first day.

J had already been in the Galley for a day before me, but I quickly realized how slack he was. When I've completed my 4th task, he'd be finished with his 2nd. While I bugged Steven for my next task, J would take breaks after his task, during his task, and before his task. Yes, he made it possible.

On his breaks, he'd sip juice, make himself some bread, and sit at one of the tables, scrolling on his phone. Or, he'd disappear completely, without a word of notice.

Shortly after working together, J showed up for an hour, and then disappeared for the rest of the day. It was only much later that we found out he had gotten seasick and retreated to his cabin to sleep.

By the end of a whole day of cleaning, setting up and clearing up, I was exhausted.

Once I caught J taking an extra long break, eating his bread and drinking his juice while watching football, in the middle of mopping a short stretch of floor. "Are you finished with mopping?" I asked. He looked at me and moved his head slightly. "Next time can you finish your task before taking a break?" I asked. "Oh," J said, and I went back into the kitchen, hoping things would change.

"It's okay," said Steven the Cook, "He maybe never worked before, so everything is tiring."

But things did not change. J slacked the whole month we were working together.

Around the time J and I were in the Galley together, another guy volunteered. His name was also J. We will address this new J as J2.

J2 was a sloth in human form. Everything he did was done with excruciating gentleness.

When we started working together, everything was fine. Then I realized J2 was not doing a very good job at doing things quickly. But to me, with time and encouragement comes progress!

"C'mon J2, let's do it quickly," I said. "We do it good but we do it fast, and then we move on. Got it?"

But J2 could not handle the speed in which I wanted things to be done. He got slower and slower and I got more and more frustrated. But the more frustrated I got, the more it showed in my smiley tone of voice. And eventually, I got the feeling that J2 couldn't stand being around me. Which was just as well, because the feeling was mutual.

Once when he was cutting lemons, he accidentally sliced his finger. He let out a little yelp and held his finger, his face filled with anguish and fear. Both the cook and I noticed and Steven went to get him a band-aid.

In an attempt to cheer him up, I said, "Well, you've unlocked the first achievement in the Galley! Level 1: Cut your finger! Congratulations!" and I laughed and waited for him to laugh with me.

But J2 shot me a silent, icy cold death glare. It was as if I had punctured his pride with the same knife that sliced his finger.

Another time, I was scheduled to work only with J2 but after he completed the first task of the day, he completely disappeared. I could not leave Galley to find him, and I had my own tasks to do. But I had to make sure the tasks given were completed before the end of the day. And the time was running out. I needed J2 to take out the trash because it was too heavy for me alone to carry out.

After the cook told me to find him again, as I went outside into the dining room, I saw J2 appear from the opposite doorway...entering into the dining room...slowly...but surely...floating...with grace...and excruciating speeeeeeeeeeeeed....

J2 saw me...and then...he turned to pick...his phone...and scrollllllll...on it...for some time...before...making his way...slowwwwwlyyy...towards me...gently...floating...

I waited there, watching him with my arms crossed. "J2," I said, smiling. "Next time tell me if you want to go somewhere."

J2 looked up at me, and I was taken aback. His eyes were black with hatred and disgust. But I brushed it off. The boy was a 25yo who didn't like this little 19yo girl bossing him around.

"Also, can you help take out the trash? Thank you!" I said, as he passed me by. J2 turned around to look at me and snarled, "Why don't YOU take out the trash?"

I looked back at him, amazed at the display of the depths of his hatred for me. "That's because I have other things to do," I replied. "Thank you!"

I left him to continue my work. All the while wondering how many more sandpaper personalities was I going to have to work with while on the ship.