The inspection of the wheels and the landing gears demanded a sharp eye, experience, and the right materials, just like any inspection or task on an aircraft. And of course, before anything else, there was the word that shouted in your mind, the keyword, the number one thing you had to carry with you before touching a plane: SAFETY.

José had brought his personal flashlight and every item the manual said he might need. He was assigned to inspect the nose landing gear, brakes and wheels, as well as the main gear. He had found a few cuts on the tires, photographed them, marked them with red tape, and noted them down.

“Do you need any help?”

José nearly jumped out of his skin. There were usually people around, but the short man who suddenly popped up from behind the wheels, appearing out of nowhere right in front of him, made his heart slam wildly against his ribs.

He exhaled sharply and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “You could’ve asked that in a more normal way,” he said.

The man across from him flashed a wide smile, white teeth bright.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, gripping the wheels between them with his gloved hands. “I just don’t have anything else to do.”

José turned back to his work, focused.

Carlos was always… indescribable. Abrupt. Random, at times. Like a child waiting for you to hand him a lollipop. When it came to work, though, he was serious. Still, José often didn’t understand him. Sometimes they laughed together at silly videos on José’s phone, along with the others. Other times they stood in front of the schedule Mark printed and taped to the wall, commenting on it. And then there were days when José and Carlos would exchange a dry “good morning” and that would be the extent of it.

Many times, Carlos was too much for José, too much energy, too much presence, and José didn’t want unnecessary involvement. But truth be told, he didn’t want much involvement with any of his colleagues to begin with. That was the policy he lived by, that was his ideal. Your coworkers wouldn’t help you bury a body, as the saying went, and they certainly wouldn’t get you out of prison. Extreme examples maybe, but believable enough to support the convictions and ideals José had built his life on.

“Doesn’t George have anything else for you to do?”

Carlos pursed his lips slightly, the upper thinner than the lower. “No.”

“I’m doing an inspection. I don’t think I’ll need help. But if you insist, you can check the nose wheels.”

Carlos nodded. “Alright. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”