The new kid was having difficulty turning the rope into the bag for repacking. I could relate since this probie had no experience with anything Fire Department related or any mechanical inclination prior to being hired as a firefighter in the FDNY. Even though the senior man was helping him patiently his nervousness was evident by the way he kept biting on his lip and the intense wide eyed  look on his face . He wanted to show he could do it on his own. But he first needed to understand the importance of the equipment he was performing weekly maintenance on. I could see his face while I looked on at the rope repacking being done that I was responsible to supervise as Captain of a Manhattan Ladder company. It brought me back many years to the days when I was a probationary firefighter…