Sandstorm

Wake up at 01:45. Walk to coffee area, Somalian lady walks out – isska warran? Smiles, responds.

4:08 am smoke pit. People discuss little fuckups, things that happend day before

- That F crew

- Fucking, F is good

- Whole Derek riding thing

- Brandon almost got stuck on second ramp

- Derek trying to get my attention, he wants to talk to me

- when you ask someone nicely, he is not asking courteously

- They got route change coming from 1501

- of course they did

Luke and Dustin talk how 2nd lube truck that goes into field, they don’t work as hard, bus rattles and I can only hear bits of talk:

- You should be talking to Metal Haul, two and two , probably make like low forties. You have leverage, you been here for a year

- I can do undercarriage, can contribute

- James is doing forty

- What! Luke exlaims.

Night shift bus returns, chatter, three conversations at once:

- It clogged back again at 3 am

- Did you guys go way way back

- I did not get but they went , to 35-9

- James missed his flight

- What? Week

- Fucking slacker, fat cunt

We pass Northgate graders: "faggots, queers." Few days ago Northgate built a berm around our D8 left alone, just to fuck with us, because we used their road, despite the signs. D8 sits enclosed, on the other side, fog, vapor, smoke fills the meadows. Majestic views in mornings.

Water collection pond along the road, wilderness behind it. I could sit there near water all day. Raaaaatttlllee shutle.

Fuel Bay

Eddie flies before us into the yard. We didn’t open the bay yet. Radio beeps, Luke listens, turns off – “of course, you’re Eddie . He’s empty.”

Night shift operators maximize loads, leave no fuel for day shift, he comes empty and fuel bay opens at 10-11. Leave the problem to next guy. Travis tries to discipline – come to fuel bay only if you’re close to empty, or have to go to bathroom. Minimize load leakage.

Rita, sour patches, give my share to Luke. Wind so sharp, cuts face, on teeth. To driver’s right side, below two mirrors, there’s a tiny camera. Rita found it and washes gladly yelling “dumb camera.”

I feel pressure in Luke. Hard work, away from young wife, Carl for months delays raising pay by a few dollars. DEF stinks like piss.

Yesterday afternoon , on top of thirty degree heat, we had dust winds. Working in dust is something. Luke walks in can, where I sit on my comfy chair of 5-gallon diesel engine oil.

- I’ll go to washroom . Its nice today, I gotta take my pants off

- one thing that Luke tells me every day is I gotta take my pants off

- don’t tell your wife

- not weird at all

- Oh, that’s funny

Two diesel generators rev, lights 24/7, radio cracks, fuel bay music.

I hear truck roaring, cortisol rises, its coming here. I have to go into heat, dust,again.

I hear radio conversations 10 km away in sandstorm:

- can you go help Mike please, slippery

- Hold up there, hold up there

- Just wait, wait for dozer, he’ll push you back

- Mike, you leaving the cupholders?

- I won't even go down there

- Any big trucks wait, becase we still have a bunch of trucks trying to get out of here

- Help is on…the..way (punctuates every word)

- Can I have radio silence for couple of minutes , while we pull one truck out

- FURTHER.DOWN

- I am just lost, southwest, entrance (muffled) fifty. Its totally..can you come to this area

- We can’t see anything here

More trucks, Paul: Sunridge cuts polys, shoots it all, this poly, this poly, dozer strips 40 centimers, start building windrows, hoe on top, loads trucks. You guys should decide, call this unit, come for fuel. You come in and its 3 trucks, you lose a load.

Cindy, I wait for her. Strange feeling take over me. I want to cry, but not sadness, laughter. I show her my pages of notes from radio.

- you want to become a haul truck driver? She leans bit forward: Now could be good time,they’re short of new drivers- there’s one guy two years ago, from fuel and lube, they trained him into haul truck driver. Really , only GF, André Lavoie.

Wind blows right in my face. Dust is on everything, getting worse. The 2-4 min wait filling the tank becoming a sand torture. I feel my face is sandblasted. Evan from bay across, shows thumbs down, bad sand storm. I swipe my face with paper towel, might as well be swiping the seacan floor.

Evening

- James just got divorced. 18 years

- I was on the night shift and she told me through text. She left the house in my name. I don’t know. Kids are small . One is turning 10, second is 2.

- My daughter is 14. Yeah, I pay child support

In the bus, Dick shows his photos when he was 25:

- I was fucking ripped. I’d go to gym. I did not enjoy but I only did to fuck hot girls. It worked. Then you marry couple of hot ones. Third one, bronze, is the best. I was married and divorced twice before I was 30.