"How long will it take to repair your ship?" Judith's father asked with his last ounce of hope.
The manager shook his head, "I'm not sure. The inspection might take two or three days, and if there are no issues, it can be put to use."
Before Judith's father had time to feel relieved, the manager added, "But if issues are detected, no one knows how long it will be out of commission."
"What about the other ships? Are any returning in the next couple of days?"
The manager picked up a notebook from the desk and flipped through a few pages, "A ship will return in four days, loading and unloading will take about two days, and it should be able to leave by this time next week."
Next week, by then even the ashes would have grown cold!
Judith's father couldn't help but curse, knowing that he couldn't blame the shipping company; hitting a reef happens frequently, but this time the timing was truly unfortunate.
