II
Tempting as it is to leave early, Dan decides to stay until the job is completed. He loses all but the last two days of his vacation, but he feels he has done the right thing. Some time later Dan and his unit's chief of engineering, Ed Addison, are having a drink after work. Eventually the conversation turns to Dan's vacation.
Dan: What would you have done if you found out I left before all the units were installed?
Ed: Honestly? Probably nothing. It sounds like Jerry Taft had everything under control.
Dan: So if I had called, you would have told me it was okay to leave before the job was completed?
Ed: I didn't say that. I don't think it would be wise for me to officially approve something like that. Then it would be my neck, too, if anything went wrong.
Dan: Meaning it would have been on my neck if anything had gone wrong?
Ed: Sure. My only point is that I probably wouldn't have done anything about your leaving early--unless something went wrong. That's a chance you would have been taking. But it sounds like it wouldn't have been a very big risk.
Dan: Would you have taken it?
Ed: That depends on how badly I wanted to ski. Actually, I never have cared for skiing--it's too risky.
What do you think of Ed's position on this matter? If Dan had known Ed's position when he was at Boulding, would it have been all right for Dan to leave early?