traffic update. Shay found shutting out the unending stream of commercials easy she was used to shutting out voices in the crowded field trailer. Especially men’s voices talking about their wives and girlfriends in disgusting terms. When one man had insisted that “happiness was a sticky crotch,” she had wanted to throw up. She had a very strong suspicion that he wouldn’t know what to do with a sticky crotch if he fell into one face first. Thank the heavens that Harold was a decent sort and didn’t join in on the guy talk.
She distracted herself from anticipating the horrors of another working day by looking at the
landscaping. Until now she had never really appreciated the ice plant California’s transportation department placed along the embankments at the freeway overcrossings. She knew the motive was erosion control, but just now, as the soil began to soften for spring, the ground was dusted with pale lavender and vibrant rose. She was going to like car pooling. It gave her a chance to look around her for a change.
Anthea finally got a report that told her it was all clear on the 880-280 crossover and she switched off the radio. “So Shay, what exactly do you do for NOC-U and goundwater protection?”
Shay looked slightly startled, as if she had been thinking about something else. Anthea was sorry she had intruded on her thoughts. “I’m a field geologist,” Shay said.
Anthea arched her eyebrows and glanced at her passenger. “Really?”
“I don’t look the part?” Shay sounded half amused, half-angered by Anthea’s surprise.
“Most of the field geologists are men,” Anthea said.
“Tell me about it,” Shay said. “I’m the only female field geologist on the site.”
Anthea gave a little nod of acknowledgment as she changed lanes. “I’ll admit I haven’t processed the time survey sheets completely, so I’m not exactly sure what a field geologist does.” Not that she’d had time and it wasn’t as if Reed would do it since Ruben was gone.
“We dig holes, install wells, take samples and perform analysis on the data.” Shay stopped.
“For … ?”
“Gee, you’re actually interested,” Shay said. “At this point most people are asleep. Well, groundwater samples are taken all over the refinery. They’re analyzed and the results are mapped to trace the movement of certain constituents … chemicals.”
“Why groundwater? Wouldn’t soil be more accurate?”
“Well, a groundwater sample can be two types. One type comes from wells, and the other from soil borings which, of course, are soil mixed with water. In both cases, it what’s dissolved in the water that matters. Xylene, for example, can’t spontaneously come to life in soil. It has to get there by some method. The production of petroleum-based products and chemicals has a lot of by-products, most of which are on the hazardous substances list. They leak into the groundwater because of rain, or pipe breakage whatever and the groundwater moves through the soil, carrying the toxics with it. So we’re tracking how the groundwater is moving and whether any toxic constituents are reaching public waters, like the bay, for example. It’s not too far to the wildlife refuge on the eastern shore.”
Anthea said, “I’m not telling any secrets if I tell you GPG’s way over budget.”
“Not on account of my salary,” Shay muttered, then she grinned at Anthea, who threw her a smile.
“You’ll be good for me,” Anthea said. “I very often forget what we make at the NOC-U hell hole.”
“Now, now,” Shay said in a mocking tone.
“Remember that National’s image is important even among ourselves.”
Anthea couldn’t decide if Shay was serious. She smiled noncommittally. Either Shay had been to too many safety meetings or she had no illusions about NOC-U’s relentless cheerleading. Anthea had forgotten how annoying she had initially found the meetings, just like she’d forgotten they were supposed to say
She distracted herself from anticipating the horrors of another working day by looking at the
landscaping. Until now she had never really appreciated the ice plant California’s transportation department placed along the embankments at the freeway overcrossings. She knew the motive was erosion control, but just now, as the soil began to soften for spring, the ground was dusted with pale lavender and vibrant rose. She was going to like car pooling. It gave her a chance to look around her for a change.
Anthea finally got a report that told her it was all clear on the 880-280 crossover and she switched off the radio. “So Shay, what exactly do you do for NOC-U and goundwater protection?”
Shay looked slightly startled, as if she had been thinking about something else. Anthea was sorry she had intruded on her thoughts. “I’m a field geologist,” Shay said.
Anthea arched her eyebrows and glanced at her passenger. “Really?”
“I don’t look the part?” Shay sounded half amused, half-angered by Anthea’s surprise.
“Most of the field geologists are men,” Anthea said.
“Tell me about it,” Shay said. “I’m the only female field geologist on the site.”
Anthea gave a little nod of acknowledgment as she changed lanes. “I’ll admit I haven’t processed the time survey sheets completely, so I’m not exactly sure what a field geologist does.” Not that she’d had time and it wasn’t as if Reed would do it since Ruben was gone.
“We dig holes, install wells, take samples and perform analysis on the data.” Shay stopped.
“For … ?”
“Gee, you’re actually interested,” Shay said. “At this point most people are asleep. Well, groundwater samples are taken all over the refinery. They’re analyzed and the results are mapped to trace the movement of certain constituents … chemicals.”
“Why groundwater? Wouldn’t soil be more accurate?”
“Well, a groundwater sample can be two types. One type comes from wells, and the other from soil borings which, of course, are soil mixed with water. In both cases, it what’s dissolved in the water that matters. Xylene, for example, can’t spontaneously come to life in soil. It has to get there by some method. The production of petroleum-based products and chemicals has a lot of by-products, most of which are on the hazardous substances list. They leak into the groundwater because of rain, or pipe breakage whatever and the groundwater moves through the soil, carrying the toxics with it. So we’re tracking how the groundwater is moving and whether any toxic constituents are reaching public waters, like the bay, for example. It’s not too far to the wildlife refuge on the eastern shore.”
Anthea said, “I’m not telling any secrets if I tell you GPG’s way over budget.”
“Not on account of my salary,” Shay muttered, then she grinned at Anthea, who threw her a smile.
“You’ll be good for me,” Anthea said. “I very often forget what we make at the NOC-U hell hole.”
“Now, now,” Shay said in a mocking tone.
“Remember that National’s image is important even among ourselves.”
Anthea couldn’t decide if Shay was serious. She smiled noncommittally. Either Shay had been to too many safety meetings or she had no illusions about NOC-U’s relentless cheerleading. Anthea had forgotten how annoying she had initially found the meetings, just like she’d forgotten they were supposed to say
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