Theme Week3

I drove the 45 minutes north and into town for the twentieth time in as many months. A summer shower just ended leaving dry spots under trees and steam rising from sunny puddles. Most times I came bearing sample bottles so I could get the clean water tests back from the lab and use them to assuage the neighbors to the big oil spill. After several months of petroleum-free water samples it was time to cut people off from sampling. One particular neighbor was adamant that he was going to be contaminated at any time. I pulled into his driveway wishing I had brought a witness along.

He promptly answers the knock on the door saying, "Good morning can I get a cup a coffee. I just made it with the last of the water I hauled up here from the spring on the Mudgett Road. I’ll tell you what, that is getting old. I want to know when you fellas are gonna drill me a new well."
"No thanks, but I’ll have a glass of water" I said with a serious face.
"No you don’t want to drink that water" he says pointing to the kitchen sink.
We sit down at the kitchen table as he clears several inches of old newspapers, phone bills, unopened credit card pitches, and dirty dinnerware. "How about a can of V-8"
I detest vegetable juice but don’t say so. "Did you get the letter from the Department?"
"I got that report form the water lab that looks to me like there’s still chemicals in it even though they say it’s OK."

I did not bring much patience along that day and broke in while his mouth was open taking in breath for the next sentence. "Mr. Maynard that chemical is reported on every sample the lab analyzes, it is labeled as a surrogate right on the.."
"I don’t care what you call it it’s a chemical I don’t want in the water and it comes from right over there." He points out the window to the next-door garage and lot filled with logging trucks.
"They put that chemical in each sample at the lab to make sure the equipment is working right."
"That oil is coming straight at my well. I watched them drill that well over there 10 years ago and they hit the same vein as me. They have the oil in the well and if it’s not in mine yet it will be any day. You said so yourself when I met you"
"That was almost two years ago when I thought you might be at risk."
"I’m more at risk now. That oil’s seeping over towards me all that time."
"Well, like I said in the letter the standard time for sampling a neighbor after a spill is one year, four seasons. We’ve sampled you well for almost two years and found no oil."
"You still haven’t told me when you’re gonna drill me a new well."

The conversation went on fruitlessly for nearly an hour before I ended by saying, "Here is my supervisor’s phone number. If you have any further questions call her but you will get the same answers."

Driving back to the office over the mostly dry road I called the boss but got a busy signal. Great I thought, now two people to call me and complain.