I'm a Big Kid now

My manager requested that I let the intern tag along with me while going on my daily rounds. At first I was concerned that she will slow me down. I do, after all, work at a blistering pace. But after a moment's consideration I decided that I was game. It was not too long ago that I was an intern. And I remembered how being brought out of the office and onto the field was a real treat for me back then!

And so she tagged along for the afternoon. Partly for her benefit, I only arranged for 3 inspections that afternoon. I didn't want to inflict mental trauma, you see. The day passed smoothly, but on the drive back to office, I knew the inevitable question was looming. I should know, it used to be one of my favourite questions too. Is this your typical day? Adopting the 'honesty is the best policy' approach, I informed her that a more typical day involves 4-5 inspections. On more busy periods, you can do upwards of 10 cases per day. "My personal record is 12 inspections in 6 hours", I smiled broadly. "What we did today was a walk in the park", I added.

"You have to run so many cases, where do you find the time to type the reports?", she countered. Ah hah. There we have it, the elephant in the room nobody could bring themselves to talk about.

"I OT till late on the weeknights I don't have to go for night inspections, and I sometimes spend a weekend clearing my backlog in office", I shrugged. 

"Then what about your playtime", she pursued. "I still make time to climb three times a week", I replied.

"Then your girlfriend how? Wouldn't she miss you dreadfully? Wouldn't she complain a lot?". And we have arrived at the money question.

I could give her a generic, feel-good reply. The "ohhh I try my best to make time" or the "we go out on weekends as often as possible" would have done the trick - not divulge too much about my philosophy yet adequate enough to satisfy her curiosity. Instead, what I chose to say instead was rather out-of-character, at least for me.

"That depends on what the girl wants. Does she want a hardworking, motivated and driven guy? If so, then that guy will necessarily not leave things undone till the next day; he will take responsibility for everything and tie up all the loose ends. Because of such a strong sense of duty, he may end up with lesser time for you, but doesn't mean that he cares less about you. In fact, this glimpse of his character is a preview of your future together - one that is trustworthy, reliable and built on rock-solid foundations.", I said.

"Sure you can have a half-fucked boyfriend who doesn't give a rat's ass about his future, who lazes around the whole day. Without a doubt he will have plenty of time for you, to answer to your beck and call, to indulge you in all your materialistic pursuits. Just don't complain when it is this same side of him, one most desirable for you now, that comes back to haunt you 10 years into the future. You want him to be a giant in his field, but you clamour for his undivided attention? You want him to pursue his ambitions unfettered and unbound, yet you kick up a big fuss over a little time spent apart? You want the best of both worlds? I hardly think that's possible.", I mused.

She was silent for a while. Then, interestingly, after mulling over it for some time, she said she would prefer the former. 

Perhaps her choice is a mirror to her own ambitions. Or perhaps it is a reflection of her wants. Whatever the case, I think I might just have saved the life of one lucky guy.