I glanced around as I did an inventory in my head. Did I have everything I’d brought up?
Satisfied that I wasn’t leaving anything for my teammates to deal with, I started down the hill. My boots sank into the soft soilas I walked, and my ears were sharp for signals from the other fallers until I reached the designated exit path.
I took a moment to fully experience it: the din of chainsaws and reversing alarms from the heavy equipment, the fragrances of moist soil and freshly-cut timber, the taste of my sweat on my lips, the cool breeze on my skin… and the sight of the forest surrounding me.
I was going to miss it.
The walk was lonely. Any other day, I’d be surrounded by my fellow fallers, discussing the day and talking shit. I’d expected to have that walk to say goodbye… even though they all knew I was leaving.
Hell, we’d had a party the evening before where the guys and I had shared stories over too many beers before they’d given me some token presents.
But it wasn’t the same as the last walk I’d been looking forward to.
I moved aside for a skidder heading up, then continued down to the landing.
Deep tire tracks crisscrossed the site. A truck waited, the driver standing beside it smoking a cigarette, while several others were being loaded.
I waited for a different truck to exit the landing, then crossed to the shack.
The inside of the small portable building smelled of wet and sweat, with tracks of dried mud near the door. An overhead fan tried to circulate fresh air—a soft tick with every rotation—but never managed to dissipate the scents of a busy worksite.
“Ah, Craig, there you are,” said Michael.
“Took my time on the way down.”
His normally stern features softened slightly. “Can’t say I blame ya.”
“HR really couldn’t let me finish out my last day?” I huffed.
He shook his head. “Preaching to the choir, man. But you know how the suits are.”
I let out a long breath. “Yeah… I know…”
He nodded. “Go ahead and do your equipment maintenance. Let me know when you’re ready to turn in your company gear.”
“Got it.”
I headed back out to my truck. I cleaned my chainsaw and secured it in its hard case. Then I started separating my gear from the company’s. The hard hat was mine, a brand I preferred, though the one provided for me was in my cargo box. The radio headset was theirs.
Soon, I had a pile of things I needed to turn in. I carried it back to the shack, where Michael had a stack of papers ready.
“Go through this while I check your gear,” he said, handing me the papers.
My mind wandered as I read through the standard exit forms. I initialed and signed where indicated, and finished just as Michael sat on the other side of his cluttered desk.
“Company-issued gear looks good,” he stated.
I nodded. “Good.”
He leaned back in his squeaky desk chair and let out a sigh. “Now, because you’re leaving for health reasons…” He huffed. “I gotta make sure you’re not injured.”
I snorted. “Suits…”
“Yeah… well… It’s my ass if I don’t ask.”
“Shoot.”
“Well… did you injure yourself today?”
