Morning fuel run

Hearing women voices on radio is so pleasant. Women are just better creatures. Luke stops after intersection to close the latch on fuel truck. Sunridge pickup drives from plant, doesn’t say nothing. Technically, you can’t stop on Ridge. Some pickup is sitting in an ambush at dozer parking uptop . We put locks on.

In the yard, I walk by truck to see if that mysterious Lavoy, but its trainer Gerry. I walk over to shack , ask Carl for grease tips. He gives me two:

- safety was here today, said you ask him about haul truck role every day. You have to leave it now. I said I am not against it, I will speak to Claudine, see what she says . It does not look good on you

- One of the drivers said talk to Trainer Gerry and I asked him. Next day I asked this guy, Trey, about Lavoy, and thats it. I don’t pester them every day. I am not pestering type.

Carl already was supposed to talk to Claudine about getting me a mine drive tier. That was three months ago.

-Luke, how long did it take you to get your tier

-I dont know, probably a month

Days are long, but fast. Two pleasures - supper and going home.

-Ronny , where is your trainee

-He didn’t make it

Morning

4:16 am

- Where did  you get Sunridge hat? So much excitement in Dustin and Lukes voices/faces. This is big currency here. I sport Fort Fireweed Fuel and Lube hat.

- You found it

- I traded it with two Palestinian guys

- I didn’t know you talk to people

- I heard them speak Turkish

- Ah well

- I just heard one word Istanbul

Laughter.

Jun mentioned yesterday Derek left initially too, but came back after renegitiating with Carl – 7/7 and title “lead mechanic.”

Alone but walking proudly ,Ken, 3rd, latest bus, pushing it at 4:40 .Well he’s gonna drive the bus to the yard, so.

Great Northern night shift returns to Rundle, half goes to smoke pit:

- She makes more, she is off, paycheck, plus she can’t. I told her last night, twenty minutes later I read email, that’s why I never wait for fucking message

- My father got me a watch , you don’t go put batterries ,you just rotate

- Fucking Dowson, who’s gonna get fired today, one guy new to Canada, showed up late, Ken Parker, I call him Peter Parker, he in jump seat, not even driving , get canned

- 29 or 28 one eighties, woman voices cuts over talk, I am just yapping, I don't do no rain dancing

- That's pay for my union, first thing that comes from my pay check, one sixty five, fucking union

Tall 6.3 shovel towers over 5.5 Asian dude with diamond studs, sparkle in darkness, my male instinct picks female voice over others.

Nanton bus drops at 4:55

-how bad are the roads

-Two more days, Jun

-Look, rainbow

Beanie: many machines went down last night

- Oh (tired sigh)

- Oh, fuck (Ken)

Turn signal clicks like metronome.

Toolbox and morning fuel run

Toolbox - "Brandt here. 6021 is down. Lots of shit coming today. 6024 is down."

Gun discussion in shack:

- Glock, amp, Marlin 47 my favourite

- Sks, conversion kit to look like AK

- Got it in case, I am concealed carry down there (we have new guy, from Texas)

- Paid two fifty, guns are cheap in Texas

- Armalite AR15 jerried out a lot of parts on it, thought it'd make me better it didn't

- Fifty cal is fifty per mag, cheap

We’re off to morning fuel run.

Fuck. Carl wants undercarriage inspection and Luke takes picks of rollers, idlers, all shredded. Shit. I just peed on these tracks.

John on Volvo excavator, urgent. Asks to grease boom, pushed it too much, hard to reach, found it, Luke apologizes, John says fuck it. Running like dogs all morning. One day. Fuck, yeah.

I feel my marriage bank is all depleted. Berms twice my height cannot hide beauty of Alberta forrest hills. Talked to wife yesterday – once in two weeks. She talks for 5 min nonstop what she wants me to do in backyard when I come back. Dad get no rest? I joke. She thinks I am on desk rotation in Edmonton.