The Floor Scrapers

Pati and Beebee were walking on the ship's track when they saw a crew one deck below them repairing the teak decking. It reminded Pati of a painting he saw once in Paris called "The Floor Scrapers."

Pati and Beebee stopped to watch. Pati particularly likes to see the tools professionals use. He was happy to see that all of the tools but one - a power hand planer - are in their shop at home. Pati misses the shop. Building things makes Pati feel useful.

Most of the passengers on the trans-Atlantic crossing sail much more frequently than Pati and Beebee. Pati wonders if he would feel useful if he did that. To Pati, it seems that rather than having an adventure, he would simply become cargo. Occasional luxury is very nice but constant luxury seems meaningless. Pati misses the shop. However, when he returns to the shop, he will probably miss the ship. Life is a puzzle to Pati.

 

Posted with Blogsy