a last cup of coffee in this building

Friday. October fourth, 2019

arrive at work, there are parting spaces

free at the front of the building. The

tiny black car is parked beside an oversize SUV car now, a huge silver BMW.

Enter the building, go to the office, it is

cold in there, the weather has turned and

the heating was off.

Turn the knob on the wall, and some seconds later the heating starts to hiss. Settle down, check the information on the computer, nothing untoward has happened.
The job is still on, to take a picture of two directors and an American guest from the Department of Energy, an important visitor for the scientists at the reactor. Half an hour early, carry over the setpladder, the camera case, and the tripod. Nearly for the important ID card, but only nearly.
Navigate the turnstiles with all the baggage, sliding the magnetic card through the reader beforehand to release the locks.
Say good morning to the secretary of the Director, ask her if everything is as planned. Things are running early.
Set up the equipment, do the checks on all the levels, the camera adjustments, everything. It is all

ready to go.

A five minute wait, then the three

men hurry ie, quiet conversations,

polite hand states, explain  the

procedure, take the picture.

Change position take another.

Job done, the three men hurry on.

Take the journey through the turnstiles in reverse, and go to the office. Take the card from the camera, put it into the card reader on the computer..

The pictures are in order.

Play with the editing software, make a wask, the work is done quickly, work

that would have taken hours back in the

analogue days, the days of sensitive film

and chemicals.

Close the office, it is time for a break. Go

to the cafeteria, then see that all is bare,

the counters are cleared. They are closing

the cafeteria permanently  today, the man is saying;
They are closed.

But he hands over a cake, and a last cup

of coffee in this building.