Skates

My Last 2 years in the Navy I got a little to "comfortable" to really be in the military. I was a first class petty officer (E6) in charge of a work center that took care of aircraft simulators In San Diego. In the process of trying to find a couple of very elusive bugs in the equipment I went on mid-shift for a week. We found and fixed the little devils just after I got to work Thursday night and the following mostly unrelated conversation took place on Friday morning…

It’s 0800 and I’m sitting at my desk in the trailer we used as a work center office. I’m sucking thick brown liquid from a big mug. The Admin Chief who is my immediate superior walks in and congratulates me on fixing the bugs. I tell him I was just watching, the techs did the work. He brings up another subject.

Chief: "You know you’re currently the senior man on mid shift and I was wondering if you saw or heard anything unusual last night?"

Me: "Such as?"

Chief: "Well the fire watch from the front of the building reported that he heard what sounded like people roller skating in the back hall all night last night."

Me: "Were there any marks on the floor when you inspected it this morning, because I thought the cleanup crew did a great job of waxing and buffing this morning?"

Chief: "No No! The floor looked fine, I’m just investigating what the fire watch reported."

Me: "Yes, I understand, we are after all, a military organization and we can’t be having military people having indiscriminate fun, after midnight, around here."

Chief: "No, I guess not. Well let me know if you hear anything about it."

At this point I lean back in my chair and put my feet up on the corner of my desk. Those would be the feet with the roller skates on them.

Me: "I’ll keep my eyes open, chief."

The chief looks at the roller skates, then at me and walks out of the trailer slowly shaking his head.

I went back to my coffee and paperwork.

Uncle Dave