the golden rings

The golden rings

It was his first work as a leader of a job, which made him anxious
onboard the ship, the captain told him to wear a uniform
but one with three silver rings since he was in catering.
The chief officer added; catering officers are not really officers
they serve no purpose other than doing the books, buying
food for the voyage, a girl could do that, he said with a sneer.
He didn’t tell the mighty man when the ship was delayed for
two days due to the weather, he had shared a hotel and bed
with his wife.
No way would he wear three silver rings; instead, he bought
a grey blazer with golden buttons and matching slacks
that would have made Hugo Boss, who dressed the German
army, proud.
He made a hail salute to the mirror, take this you fuckers!
The Vietnam war was going on; the officers were totally
pro-American, spoke of the yellow peril, were racist to the core and
uneducated about what the war was fought for.
He should have kept stum, the best solution, but he could not
spent much time alone in his cabin reading books.
Ate his meal with the cook in the little mess hall just for
the catering staff.
With time he saw that wearing of uniform on a cargo ship was
silly, after all bringing gods from one port to another like truck
drivers, they do not sit in their cabins in uniform and salute
each other on the motorway.
When it was his turn to go home, he left the uniform behind
and spoke no more about this thing of no consequence.