SSRN SEAVEIW

Dear Mom,

Well, I’m off the dive team. The Chief was really happy about that. I guess I should have expected it. I wasn’t exactly quiet about how dissapointing this cruise has been. The Skipper told me he regretted removing me from the team, but we all still had our jobs to do, mundane as they are at times. That sometimes it was more important to do the booring everyday tasks than to be in the field of battle.

Then the Skipper removed me from the crew roster entirely, thanked me for the time already spent and said I could spend my time doing anything I liked as long as I didn’t get in anyone’s way. I don’t know but that kinda’ hurt more than being on report or scrubbing out bilges. He hadn’t yelled, he hadn’t chewed me out, he just looked at me. I felt like a little kid and wished back everything I’d said, but couldn’t bring myself to apologise.

So, here I am. Sitting all alone in the Nose with my art supplies, with the Admiral’s permission as a ‘guest’ . Of course I’m sure there will be no offers of art work for the Institute now.

This is Ski and Stu before Sharkey sent them out in the flyng sub. Wish I was with them, even if they won’t talk to me. And this is the Captain burning a hole in my heart. I don’t know why it should affect me like this. I guess I kind of feel as though I’ve betrayed them all. Maybe I have. I was a member of the crew if only briefly and I botched it.

Brad.