Sydney knew she shouldn't have expected much, but she did, and ended
up nearly crying when her father gave her a pathetic hug and mumbled good
night in her ear. She cried for a little before finally falling asleep,
trying to keep quiet. He slept in the room next to her, and she heard his
footsteps go inside. She thought about what he'd said about his job too.
Could people's lives really be dependant on her father? And how was that
possible when he worked for a company that made airplane parts? This and
the crying made her very confused.
Sydney had a restless night's sleep, and woke up for good not much past dawn. She laid there thinking about the things her father had said. By the time she heard him getting up, she was sure there was no way he really worked at an airplane company. How much help could a salesman be? She'd never known anyone in that kind of job to travel anywhere near as much as her father did, either. She resolved to ask him what he really did while they ate breakfast.
Fortunately, Edith rarely ate with them when her father was home so during one of her trips into the kitchen to check on her baking, Sydney asked her question.
"Dad, you don't really work for that comapny that makes airplane parts, do you?" Her father looked at her sternly for a moment, and with, what she thought, a bit of wonderment in his eyes.
"Of course I do, Sydney."
"But you said yesterday that you go places because other people could be hurt."
"Yes, I said that."
"Well, how do people get hurt by airplanes? Unless they crash, but why would that be your company's fault?"
"Well, sometimes the crashes are the company's fault. If a part isn't made correctly, it can cause a lot of trouble. Since I'm the one that sells the parts, I have to deal with a lot of people, that live in all kinds of places."
"I see." She didn't really believe him, but right now, she couldn't think of any holes in his reason. It was almost time for her to go to school anyway, but her father did not offer to drive her.
Edith was just getting her coat on when Sydney decided she was sick of riding to school and began walking. She needed to think about what her father had said, and she was a better thinker when she was doing something.
Edith followed her out the door and asked why she wasn't getting into the car. Sydney simply told the truth, that she needed time to think, and that it would be all right if Edith wanted to pick her up in the afternoon.
Just as Sydney reached the doorway to this school, she found the weakness in her father's argument. If the company needed people to travel, why was it always her father who went? Weren't there other people that worked there who could go?
She supposed there didn't have to be more than one person needed for her father's job, but it still seemed funny. She thought they must have had enough big customers in other places that they would need more than one person than just her father. And why did her father have to stay so long? Sometimes he was gone for a month at a time, and he would come back, then leave again right away, sometimes for the same place he had just come from. She could understand if there were problems, but wasn't he there to prevent them? Things just still weren't adding up, but she didn't know how to ask him again about it without seeming nosy.
Sydney was outside waiting before Edith even showed up. She couldn't wait to go home. She'd had to stay in from recess because she hadn't finished her math homework. On top of that, she'd been distracted all day long.
At last Edith arrived. "Is Dad still at home?" Sydney asked, almost before saying hello. "I really should ask him about something."
"Yes, he was in the kitchen reading the newspaper when I left. You look tired. Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"I slept all right. I just have a lot of things on my mind today, that's all."
"Those things wouldn't have to do with your father, would they?" Sydney said nothing.
"I heard you asking him about his job this morning. That's not something you should bother him about, Sydney. He's not exactly proud of his job, you know. That's why he doesn't talk about it much."
Now Sydney was completely confused. "Dad says his job is to make sure the parts for the airplanes are made right, and to sell them to people who need them. Why shouldn't he be proud of it?"
Edith didn't know what to say. Sydney watched her face. Soon the child's eyes narrowed, making her look very angry. Which she was.
"One of you is lying to me. What does Dad really do??"
Sydney had a restless night's sleep, and woke up for good not much past dawn. She laid there thinking about the things her father had said. By the time she heard him getting up, she was sure there was no way he really worked at an airplane company. How much help could a salesman be? She'd never known anyone in that kind of job to travel anywhere near as much as her father did, either. She resolved to ask him what he really did while they ate breakfast.
Fortunately, Edith rarely ate with them when her father was home so during one of her trips into the kitchen to check on her baking, Sydney asked her question.
"Dad, you don't really work for that comapny that makes airplane parts, do you?" Her father looked at her sternly for a moment, and with, what she thought, a bit of wonderment in his eyes.
"Of course I do, Sydney."
"But you said yesterday that you go places because other people could be hurt."
"Yes, I said that."
"Well, how do people get hurt by airplanes? Unless they crash, but why would that be your company's fault?"
"Well, sometimes the crashes are the company's fault. If a part isn't made correctly, it can cause a lot of trouble. Since I'm the one that sells the parts, I have to deal with a lot of people, that live in all kinds of places."
"I see." She didn't really believe him, but right now, she couldn't think of any holes in his reason. It was almost time for her to go to school anyway, but her father did not offer to drive her.
Edith was just getting her coat on when Sydney decided she was sick of riding to school and began walking. She needed to think about what her father had said, and she was a better thinker when she was doing something.
Edith followed her out the door and asked why she wasn't getting into the car. Sydney simply told the truth, that she needed time to think, and that it would be all right if Edith wanted to pick her up in the afternoon.
Just as Sydney reached the doorway to this school, she found the weakness in her father's argument. If the company needed people to travel, why was it always her father who went? Weren't there other people that worked there who could go?
She supposed there didn't have to be more than one person needed for her father's job, but it still seemed funny. She thought they must have had enough big customers in other places that they would need more than one person than just her father. And why did her father have to stay so long? Sometimes he was gone for a month at a time, and he would come back, then leave again right away, sometimes for the same place he had just come from. She could understand if there were problems, but wasn't he there to prevent them? Things just still weren't adding up, but she didn't know how to ask him again about it without seeming nosy.
Sydney was outside waiting before Edith even showed up. She couldn't wait to go home. She'd had to stay in from recess because she hadn't finished her math homework. On top of that, she'd been distracted all day long.
At last Edith arrived. "Is Dad still at home?" Sydney asked, almost before saying hello. "I really should ask him about something."
"Yes, he was in the kitchen reading the newspaper when I left. You look tired. Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"I slept all right. I just have a lot of things on my mind today, that's all."
"Those things wouldn't have to do with your father, would they?" Sydney said nothing.
"I heard you asking him about his job this morning. That's not something you should bother him about, Sydney. He's not exactly proud of his job, you know. That's why he doesn't talk about it much."
Now Sydney was completely confused. "Dad says his job is to make sure the parts for the airplanes are made right, and to sell them to people who need them. Why shouldn't he be proud of it?"
Edith didn't know what to say. Sydney watched her face. Soon the child's eyes narrowed, making her look very angry. Which she was.
"One of you is lying to me. What does Dad really do??"