Tangent
an excerpt

"The off roader will do just fine. I've driven around there before."

"In the dust storms?" Jane asked, joining the conversation.

"No ma'am. But I can always wait the storm out if one hits."

"You going to take Joseph along?" Dottie asked.

"I'm really not supposed to."

"You should have someone riding shot gun just in case you run into difficulties," she replied.

"Especially with the storms. If not Joseph, what about one of your co-workers?" Jane said.

"We're short staffed. We used to go two to a job but we just don't have the man power any longer," I replied.

"That's a shame. Why ever not?" Jane asked.

"It's a combination of forced retirement, the draft and a lack of funding for training," I explained.