Fracked by Mark Campbell

soon as he recognized it.
    “Shit,” he muttered as he took a few last desperate puffs and then quickly extinguished the cigarette inside his beer can. He waved his hand in front of his face and tried to make the smell dissipate.
    A white Taurus pulled into the driveway and created a plume of dust in its wake as it slowly made its way to the carport.
    He pulled an open pack of Wrigley's Doublemint out of his pocket, hastily shoved a few sticks of it into his mouth, threw the foil wrappers aside, and chewed like a madman.
    The Taurus stopped behind John’s car and Rebecca stepped out.
    She looked exhausted.
    Lucy woke up and started barking as she paced by the patio’s screen door.
    “Hey darlin,” John said with a southern drawl as Rebecca walked up the steps and opened the screen door. He gave her an innocent smile.
    “Hey,” Rebecca said as she smiled back at him. “How was your day?”
    Lucy barked and looked up at her excitedly.
    “Oh you know… The usual,” John said with a shrug. “They still didn’t crack the shale. Something was wrong with one of the pumps.”
    “Well… good,” Rebecca said as she leaned down to pet Lucy. “Maybe they’ll quit putting those eyesores up.”
    Lucy jumped up and down and licked at her face.
    “Settle down, silly,” Rebecca said as she kissed the top of Lucy’s fury head.
    John chuckled as he watched them. He almost took a drink from his beer, but then he remembered the cigarette. He slowly sat the can down on the deck.
    “We got another new guy in the van today,” John said. “He seems alright, but he’s just a kid. They keep hiring these ambitious young bucks and then get surprised when they quit.”
    “Oh? Do you think this one will stay?” she asked.
    John shrugged.
    “I can’t call it yet, but I think he might,” John said. “How was your day?”
    Rebecca sighed and walked towards chair next to John.
    John lowered his feet so she could pass.
    Lucy followed her, wagging her tail.
    “Pretty slow,” Rebecca simply said as she plopped down in the chair, frowning. She stared off into the distance.
    John studied her face and knew something was wrong.
    “What happened?” he asked.
    She shook her head.
    “The place is just getting to me… The way they do things, I mean.”
    John reached over and squeezed her hand.
    “Just hang in there a little while longer. It’ll be okay,” he said with a smile. “By this time next year I should have enough saved up for the big move. Pretty soon we’ll be out of this place and start our new life in Austin. You’ll get to finish college… live near your family… become a nurse… and this will all be a bad memory.”
    Rebecca smiled at the notion and then looked over at him.
    “I know my parents would love for me to be closer, but it’s you I worry about,” she said. “What will you do up there?”
    John thought about it a moment and shrugged as he stared off towards the horizon. Truthfully he didn’t give it much consideration.
    “I’m not sure yet… I’ve been thinking about getting a CDL and driving trucks for a living,” he said.
    Rebecca frowned.
    He looked over at her and quickly shook his head.
    “Just local routes, nothing national,” he assured. “Texas routes where I’ll be home every weekend. The hours would be tough but I reckon the wage will be decent.”
    She looked relieved and nodded.
    “Driving would be a good fit for you I think,” she said. She looked down and frowned, thinking. “I worry though… Will it be tough for you… to leave here? Leaving home is never easy…”
    John narrowed his eyes as he looked towards the oil well in the distance.
    “It sure doesn’t feel like home anymore,” he grumbled.
    Rebecca glanced down with a concerned expression.
    “Still… home is home,” she said. “When it comes to Austin, well, sometimes I worry that I’m making you do things you don’t want to do… Go places you don’t want to go. I don’t want you to rip up your roots