Last year, my friend John started his one-year contract at EA about a month before I embarked on my current employment adventure. We had previously worked on Halo together, so it was great that we were at the same company again.
What also was great was the fact that John drove to work and that his commute home took him right past a Skytrain station. He graciously agreed to let me ride home with him, dropping me off along the way right next to the station. In doing so, he allowed me to catch the train one stop closer to home than if I had taken the bus and I got to avoid the bus altogether.
His generosity sure saved me some time, a significant amount if you counted it all up over the last year. I was particularly thankful for the rides during the winter when the elements turn the weather wet and cold. John never asked for anything in return but I made sure I bought him lunch on a regular basis. It was the least I could do.
John’s last day of his contract was today. He went out for lunch as we usually do and I made sure his meal was on my dime. At the restaurant, I watched John disable his morning alarm on his phone. There’s no reason for him to be awake at any particular time in the mornings now. He’d been looking forward to turning that alarm off for a while now. I was a bit envious but I’ll disable my own alarm soon enough in just over two weeks.
I’ll have to take the bus home now but only for a little while and then John and I will be collecting cans in the daytime.