"Mom!"
It was my daughter again shouting from the living room after the phone rang. Somebody called.
"Yes!"
I responded shouting too since we were far from each other.
"It's your best friend. She confirms she's coming!"
The notice brought joy to my heart. My BFF, short for Best Friend Forever, just called to confirm her presence to the birthday event.
I admire that woman friend a lot. You can say she worked for the money because she works a lot, but not really. Money was just a paper to her, an instrument of reward for a job well done.
Her connection with God and Jesus has always been intact. Thanks to her mother's good teachings. Money has never really won the first place battle in her mind and heart, in her life. She has never stopped to use money to help people she could help.
Once she tried to convince me to accept a job that offers promotion, status and more money I refused. I told her I hate to hold money. That I hate money.
She was surprised, of course. Her irritated facial expression suddenly disappeared and her face looked beautiful to me again. She asked why.
I confessed to her about my money perception. It wasn't that I was afraid of handling money or the job itself. I would rather do the paperwork than be responsible directly about the possession of others' money on my hands.
As of my own money, they never last in my hand. I have always sent them away where they were meant for in my life. I send someone else to handle it for me.
My friend was able to understand my point of view, though she disagreed. She respected my decision and kept our conversation to ourselves.
By that time, we were both working onboard a love boat. Yes! It was a one-day entertainment cruise ship that travelled between a port of the United States of America to the Bahamas Islands.
One day, we had a ship's drill. It was called a Fire Drill, like a simulacro. In case of emergency, each crew working onboard must know what to do and each performing a role.
I was a receptionist and my friend was an officer. At that moment of the drill, I was working inside the Hotel Department's Office, typing something. The emergency bell rang and we, all crew and officers, must report to corresponding assigned stations immediately.
I understood it was a drill, but it seemed it was a real one. Something was really happening in the Engine Room while the ship was docked at the port, fortunately without passengers.
My friend quickly handed me her key to her safety deposit box. I have mine too. She told me to get what's inside her box and be quiet about it. Then rushed back to comply with her ship's obligations as an officer.
I did not have the chance to ask a question. I quickly opened first my own safety box. I wasn't sure what I had there. I found out I had only a brown paper bag with my most favorite chocolate crunchy bar I bought in the Bahamas. It was the last chocolate bar I could find since it was so popular. It was the best!
"You've got to be saved!"
I smiled at myself, almost laughing while I took out the paper bag and before closing it, kissed my chocolate bar. Then closed my safety box.
I went next to my friend's box. My eyes got big! Hers was full of scattered dollar bills inside her box. She must have not deposited her salary yet. We just got paid two days ago. My pay was already deposited to the bank earlier that day. So I put all her dollars inside my paper bag. Then left to go to my own station.
On that drill, my role was to act as a passenger. I did not have to lead,but just to follow instructions like forming a line with the others.
There were about ten of us acting as a passenger, formed in a horizontal line outside the ship as we had reached the point of safety.
As part of the ship's drill, each passenger on safety must be accounted for. Then a roll call of names had to be done.
The acting ship's representative as a group leader happened to be a coworker in the office of our department. He was a close friend of mine with whom I loved to work with as we had good vibes and a good time working happily joking with each other.
He stopped in front of me as he noticed my brown paper bag. He looked at me while reporting himself through his walkie talkie to the ship's captain that all passengers in command were safe.
Before asking me a question, he made sure his walkie talkie was off.
To be continued...
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