Adulthood

Angelo Ramirez straightened his 'Senior Mechanic' badge for the fourth time. He was sitting on an peculiar yellow chair, (the designer of which clearly found aesthetics to be of more value that comfort) outside the doors to the Senior Mechanic's Deck aboard the Grand Melatone American National Spaceship. As was evident from the non-stop tapping of his foot, his slightly shaky breath and his tendency to fidget, Mr. Ramirez was nervous. It was his first day of his dream job and he was determined not to mess it up. But more than that, it was the day he would finally be told The Secret.

Ramirez, as well as most of the inhabitants of the spaceship, had been born and raised aboard it. From a young age, he had shown an interest in mechanics. He had always been a fan of puzzles as a child and would often take things apart; toys, remote controls, mini radios, and attempt to put them back together. He would also always wander off into more remote parts of the spaceship, following the paths of certain pipes or trying to sneak into the engine room to see how the engines worked. He didn't even need time to consider his choices when faced with the task of what job to apply for when he turned eighteen.

When the Fuel Crisis of 2284 occurred, Ramirez, along with the other residents of the Grand Melatone, was distraught. The supply carriage containing the fuel reserves had been damaged and most of the fuel had been lost. To make matters worse, there had not been a report from the International Space Station in months and no one seemed to be able to reach them. But the Senior Mechanical Team of the Grand Melatone had risen to the occasion and found a solution to the problem. Exactly what the solution was, no one outside of the Senior Mechanical Team knew, as it was classified information, kept from public view with the people's best interests in mind. This was what had soon become known to the mechanics, and those of the public who cared about such matters, as The Secret.

After the crisis was averted, life on the spaceship carried on as normal. Reports from the International Space Station once again became a frequent occurrence. They always said the same things, but that was just a reassuring sign that normality had been restored. Personally, Ramirez felt all the more motivated to climb higher up the ladder of success within the spaceship's mechanical department, as he was desperate to find out what was keeping the spaceship running.

This was why four years later, Angelo Sebastián Ramirez aged 26, was sat outside the doors of Senior Mechanic's Deck, about to start his first day as the youngest Senior Mechanic on record. Granted, he had been faced with some sceptical looks from his employers when he had walked into the interview room, but as hard as the interview was, Ramirez had managed to pass it with flying colours. The interviewer, Mrs. Alesha Marshall, Vice President of the Senior Mechanical Team of the Grand Melatone American National Spaceship, had asked him only one question: "If the spaceship had completely run out of fuel, all emergency reserves drained, and the International Space Station could not be reached, how would you proceed in keeping the ship up and running?" 

It was the most difficult question Ramirez had ever had to answer, but after spending hours combing through the Melatone's official records, which had been thankfully provided by Mrs. Marshall, and making vague notes on the whiteboard, also provided by the VP, Ramirez had finally discovered a way to temporarily keep the ship running until contact with the Space Station could be re-established. It was definitely the most unconventional interview Ramirez had ever even heard of, after all what kind of interview lasted so long that bathroom breaks had been already been pre-decided? But he could help but walk out of the room at the end of the day feeling immensely proud of himself. After all, how many people could come up with a way to temporarily solve such a difficult problem. He supposed that was why they had chosen to hire him.

So, this was it. he was finally going to start his dream job and of course, be clued in on The Secret, as it was common knowledge that anyone accepted on the Senior Mechanical Team learnt The Secret on their first day. The doors beside Ramirez slid open with a small mechanical click to reveal none other than Mr. Thomas Dalton, President of the Senior Mechanical Team of the Grand Melatone. He was a broad man with a perpetually reddened face and a well groomed moustache.

"Ah Mr. Ramirez, so good to meet you." He held out his hand for Ramirez to shake, which he did. "I thought I should greet you personally on your first day, especially after hearing such good things about your interview." He motioned Ramirez through the doors.

Ramirez wasn't sure what he had expected to see on the Deck, maybe an extra-terrestrial object that could create unlimited fuel linked up to to engines. Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly wasn't what he was met with upon following Mr. Dalton through the doors. Before him was what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary Senior Mechanic Deck, lined with standard engines and ordered desks for the mechanics to work on.

"So, we'd like to get you started right away if that's okay with you." Mr. Dalton said as he lead Ramirez to a desk where two other mechanics sat, looking over blueprints of one of the engines. "This is Adele Bolton and George Han, who you'll be working with from now on. I would advise you to start off by getting to know each other since you'll be working quite closely, fighting day to day to keep this ship going once the emergency reserves run out in a few months."

Ramirez frowned. "Sir, I don't understand, what do mean 'when the emergency reserves run out'? What about The Secret? Aren't you going to tell me what it is?" He asked.

Mr. Dalton laughed. "Don't you get it, boy? There is no Secret."

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Adulthood

When I was in Primary School, I used to look at Secondary School students and think: Wow, they're so big, so old and mature. They're so smart doing all of that complicated school work. Will I be that smart when I'm older? And so I waited. I waited to grow into one of those smart, mature Secondary School students who had always seemed so cool to me back then. Only it never happened. Instead I got to Secondary School and I didn't feel older like I thought I would, I felt young compared to all of the older students in the school. I wasn't mature and the school work I did was not complicated as it had seemed to my younger mind. So I looked up to the older students, the ones doing GCSE's and A Levels who seemed so mature and smart and like they had their lives sorted out. What I didn't realise until I got to their age was that they still weren't completely mature and the work they did was not too hard for people of their age group and despite appearances, they too still didn't have their lives together. And so they looked up to those who were older than them and the cycle carries on.

My point is that we never really grow up. We always seem to think that when we get older we'll be more mature, more prepared, smarter and better with our lives sorted out. And then we get to that age only to realise; we still don't know what we're doing. And you will often find that when you look at the people around you and think things like: They're so confident, so organised, so smart and talented and well-held-together, those people are actually as insecure and messy and lost as you are, and they're looking at you and thinking you are as perfect as you thought they were, when in reality, we're all just barley getting by.

That complicated machine at your new job that you can't figure out how to work? Your boss isn't too sure about it either. The exams that your taking practise papers for? The students taking the real thing are as lost as you are. The people you think have they're lives together? They're probably failing terribly in at least one aspect. The secret to getting by that you think all of those older people know? It doesn't exist. Adulthood is a myth. No body's sure about everything and no one knows all the answers and everyone is just making it up as they go along.

So don't feel bad when you reach a certain age and your not all of those things you thought you would be and don't be too hard on yourself when still hopelessly lost when everyone else has found their bearings, because none of those people are perfect, they're all as imperfect as you. Stop waiting to grow up into someone better than you are today and just accept life as it is; a world full children masquerading as adults.

- T.L Wizards