Member-only story
Living Alaska — Meet Ben Steering
A Fictional Mis-Communication Story
I was walking past the dining room when someone asked me where I had been. I said, “I have been steering”. For the previous hour, I had been on the bridge steering the ship.
The elderly couple sitting opposite me struck up a conversation, asking me this and that. They were interested in the operation of the ship. When their friends arrived, they introduced me as “Ben Steering”.
Before I could correct them, they asked if I was related to Wilma and John Steering. I wanted to correct the oversight, but they continued by saying how wonderful it was to meet another Steering.
They started telling stories and reminiscing about the Steering family, assuming I was related to the originals. I still could not get a word in edgewise and was now adopted by the Steering Clan.
After hearing how Johnny Jr. Steering had been accepted to Stanford, I decided it was best to accept my adopted family member status.
Everything would have been fine as such, but a new coworker overheard the conversation and left stating, “I will see you later, Ben”. Oh no, he left before I could correct him.
