E rocking a beater, glistening statuesque.

S off in an adjacent field lower down the hill, pacing the rows, puffing on a yellow-pack American Spirit. Bandana tied around his neck.

Kept getting blasted by bugs.

They were going for the cuts.

For the eyes.

Threw my synthetic pullover’s hood on; zipped it up to my chin and drew the drawstrings taut, creating a hole just big enough to see out of beneath the brim of my Nike Dri-Fit cap. Despite the heat.

Pushing 90.

Went at it a couple more stakes before I felt like I was gonna pass out.

At which point, barged up the hill, to E’s tent.

Where I tried to hit it, protected from bugs by his tent’s mesh, only it was too blasted out.

So laid down my tarp and crashed out beneath the picnic table.

E and I got into it the next day.

On the way to Walmart (for more medical tape) from the one coffee shop in Bennington we went for lunch.

Where E used to go, while a student here.

Where he used to go when he worked for S before, while living here couple years back, with his now-ex, then-long-term on/off bae.

“Bro what are you tryna prove? Never taking breaks and shit,” I spat, feeling myself go mean.

E jetted his all-black Tacoma past some geriatrics doing 20 in a 45, blatantly mean-mugging as he passed. He didn’t respond.

“Like, a ten-hour day doesn’t mean ten hours of nonstop work.”

Still nothing.

“Like dude,” I continued, self-righteous now, “I’m not about that panoptic mode of grinding nonstop like a fkng peasant for fear the master’ll catch you taking a fiver. That shit is basic. Not to mention extra.”

“Alright, man. What are you saying?” he said. “I called you because I thought you were up for the gig. If you’re not now just lemme know and I’ll call someone else.”

“Bro do you have a deeper purpose? Like besides work?” I was sneering. Tossed the cig I’d just killed out the window and immediately started rolling another. “Besides fkng labor? How you’re talking reminds me of the basic wooks in Humboldt who’d pull up to the trim scene so desperate for work they’d get played by the property owners. You have to not need the work. You have to work on your terms. You’re not a fkng mule, bruh. But you act like one you’ll get treated like—”

“Look dude. S isn’t some faceless corporate master. He’s my guy. I negotiated the day rate to what it is with the understanding that we’ll have the job done in four days. So that’s what we’re gonna do.”