The Prodigal Returns

Today marked the return of a co-worker who had left the organization a year-and-a-half ago. He left under the best of circumstances, giving a month's notice and working until the end of the busy season. He and I remained in touch- I still kept his contact information programmed into my phone, and we'd text back and forth on occasion. He's come back on his own terms, working three four-hour shifts per week, which is perfect for our department because the other part-timers don't see him as a threat to their hours.

I get along famously with the guy- we have similar values, similar attitudes. Besides, he's a reader, and has an exhaustive knowledge of music, from old blues classics to death metal. One of my underlings joked that, when this guy was originally hired, our then boss basically was hiring another me.

Predictably, when he came back, it felt to him and to everyone who had worked with him before as if he had never left. He hit it off with with the new hires as well, being a stand-up guy. I arrived at work early to see how his return had gone, and we ended up just shooting the breeze for almost an hour. Yep, it was like he'd never left.

Anyway, here's an appropriate song by a young Errol Dunkley to commemorate the return:





Most importantly, my friend and co-worker is not afraid of the dark.