Episode 8: "Because"

                             Because the world is round it turns me on
                             Because the world is round...aaaaaahhhhhh

                             Because the wind is high it blows my mind
                             Because the wind is high...

 

                             Love is old, love is new
                             Love is all, love is you

                             Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry
                             Because the sky is blue...

                                                                                                  Written by John Lennon

 

6:30 in the morning.

The workday begins.

For the security guard, mornings start early.

The air was already beginning to feel hot as he opened the factory gate.

Some employees would be arriving soon.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

Every day began with those simple words exchanged with someone passing through the gate.

It was a strange kind of job.

The people who walked past him seemed to change somehow as they passed through the gate.

Of course, some simply walked in without a thought.

There were exceptions, too—

the president and other executives,

the veteran craftsmen who had worked there for many years.

But even they carried a different air about them on special days.

The security guard noticed things like that.

There was something else he had learned to notice.

He could sense changes simply by looking at people's faces.

Happiness.

Sadness.

Anger.

Nervousness.

The look of someone who had just had something good happen.

Even the way they walked could tell him something.

Every day was the same,

repeated over and over...

and yet,

no two days were ever exactly alike.

Recently, there was one young man who had caught the guard's attention.

He was tall and fresh-faced,

but he always walked with his head down,

his expression dark.

"Good morning."

The guard's greeting seemed to disappear into the morning sky.

...

One afternoon,

the security guard was standing outside talking with the factory manager.

"The new recruits this year have real potential."

"You sound happy, Manager."

"Let me guess."

"Six of them were assigned to the factory floor?"

"Exactly!"

The manager smiled.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"Their supervisors are putting a lot of effort into training them."

"Everyone's saying this year's group is a good one."

"I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out."

"I suppose what we look forward to changes as we get older."

The manager nodded.

"You're right about that."

"Watching young people grow has become one of the things I care about most."

"We were young once, too."

"We were rookies once."

"I don't remember that."

"That was far too long ago."

They both laughed.

"They're good kids, too, aren't they?"

"Young people these days seem pretty straightforward."

"Yes..."

"But..."

The guard noticed the hesitation in his voice.

"Something bothering you?"

"You seem a little uncertain."

The factory manager was quiet for a moment.

"Don't you feel it?"

The guard gave a small nod

and looked up at the sky.

The afternoon sun was hot.

Summer was almost here.

The sky above the factory was one of the things the guard liked most about his job.

It stretched high above them,

endlessly blue.

The same sky as always.

The same sky it had always been.

"But you know, Manager..."

"You weren't very good at saying hello yourself when you were young."

The factory manager's face turned red.

"I don't remember that."

"That was far too long ago."

The guard smiled.

For a moment,

the face of the young man

and the embarrassed face of the factory manager

seemed to overlap.

...

The next morning,

at the usual time,

the security guard opened the gate.

"Good morning."

And another day began.