The weekend, unlike any other day, T.B. drove a Toyota Hilux. Anderson Jr. Seely sat in the passenger seat next to him. Two other employees stayed at the camp. Contradiction with shareholders of the company, of course, normal workers didn't want to work on the weekend.
Both Anderson and T.B. were completely tired after a cold working day. The pickup car went down the mountain, along the dirt road to the lake near the camp. It started to rain lightly. The rain had swept away rocks and soil from the mountains to the lake and turned the lake water yellow, not as transparent as the first days they were here.
The sunset scene was beautiful. But both of them were so bored. They didn't want to watch it. They had been here too long and felt uncomfortable with this place. If anyone travels for a few days or even a week to this place, they can see very poetic and gorgeous scenery. But staying here for more than a month and doing the same work every day is so boring.
Sitting in the passenger seat, right at a distance, Anderson Jr. Seely saw, in the middle of the lake, a chalf naked person. He was floating. His face was down in the middle of the lake. His sickly white skin showed out above the golden yellow water. Under the rain and behind the front car window, the body of this man looked huge. His arms and legs were big and round like a hot air balloon mascot, waving its hand at a town fair.
Anderson Jr. Seely pointed forward and shouted:
"Look! T.B."
T.B. pressed the accelerator and turned the car left. The Toyota Hilux tilted on its left two wheels, nearly overturning. The vehicle rounded to the foot of the hill and drove out to the riverbank.
While driving, T.B. honked the horn with each beat.
Peem, peem, peem.
Peem, peem, peem.
Anderson Jr. Seely did not see the man react. The pickup stopped. He opened the door, rushed out, and immediately jumped into the lake. The water was so cold. Anderson could swim very well. His adoptive father often took him to the Anchorage Sports Center swimming pool when he was a child. He also had a certificate of graduation from the three-day lifesaving swimming training course since he was a student.
T.B. was only slower than Anderson Jr. Seely by just a few seconds. He had to stop and turn off the Toyota Hilux. As he rushed to the water's edge, Anderson Jr. Seely swam to the victim. He heard Anderson Jr. Seely shout at him with a decisive wave of his hand.
"No! Stop! Life jacket! My survival bag!"
No need to wait for Anderson Jr. Seely to shout a second time, T.B. rushed back to the Toyota Hilux. Under the car's passenger seat, there was Anderson's curious "survival bag." He always put it here. Whenever in the car, T.B. would see Anderson touching around and looking for something in this bag.
T.B. pulled the zipper to open the bag. In the bag, there were two life jackets.
"Life jackets will be used when the plane lands in the water in an emergency case. They can be found underneath the seat or armrest. Place it on your head to wear. Life jackets for infants are also available. Don't touch the life jacket unless in an emergency case."
Anytime on an America Delta Airlines flight from Anchorage to New York and vice versa, before takeoff, T.B. always heard this chorus with the boring performances of flight attendants with blank and soulless faces, but their bodies were so perfect.
Keeping the life jackets in hand, a thought of surprise flashed through T.B.'s mind. He admired Anderson. This f**king crazy guy could anticipate and prepare in advance for every life-or-death situation that would occur in his life.
T.B. tore off the plastic covering the life jackets and rushed to the water. When he reached the two of them, he pulled a life jacket over Anderson's head and neck. He pulled the valve of a tank that contained pressurized carbon dioxide attached to the life jacket to release it.
The life jacket inflated. The head and chest of Anderson floated above the water thanks to Archimedes' thrust.
T.B. only reacted according to what he had been trained to do. He had to make his initial assessment quickly in just a second when an emergency occurred. He had to decide to save people with a higher survival rate.
In an emergency, there was only a choice between life and death. There was no room for other emotions, such as love or hate. And only humans were unique. There was no room for other positions and roles, such as colleagues or friends, William Smith or Kimberly Smith. At this time, Anderson had a higher survival rate than the other man.
T.B. pulled the remaining life jacket over the head of the man. The face of this man was still facing the water. T.B. pulled the valve of the carbon dioxide tank to release the pressure. The life jacket quickly inflated.
The pale head of the man immediately jumped out from his body and sank quickly under the water. The life jacket was still hanging around the man-without-a-head's neck.