A windfall (fiction)

Joel was required to work six days a week.

His employees worked Monday-through-Friday and got paid for seven days a week which included time-and-a-half for Saturday and double-time for Sunday.

Joel caught up with his paper-work on Saturday.

According to Joel's calculations, the big trucks would be taken out Sunday night by the team of four that included Steve Wright and Rob Saeed. Both men were nasty pieces of work. Steve was a back-stabber. Rob's vibe was that he was the kind of guy who would kick you when you were on the ground: Literally. Rob like to drink in bars and provoke bar fights. That was not speculation. Rob BRAGGED about it.

Joel made a big show of inspecting the big flatbeds Saturday morning. He had no idea if anybody was watching. He made sure to take long enough that if anybody was watching, that they would get bored and stop paying much attention.

*

Two things happened to diesel fuel since the early 1980s. The sulfur content was reduced to trace levels and "bio-diesel" was blended to appease the Green Weenies.

The sulfur did several things. It lubricated valve seats and it suppressed the growth of "slime" in the fuel system.

Bio-diesel also contributed to the problem of slime growing in the fuel system.

It is a testament to the tenacity of life that anything can grow in diesel fuel. It is devoid of the minerals and protein needed to sustain life. And yet, bacteria and fungi still grow on it, gleaning the most meager and tenuous toe-holds on life with the tiny amounts of dust that infiltrate the system. They grow in large enough quantities that they can clog filters and gum-up injection pumps.

Joel knew this. He had worked for the Livingston County Road Commission. They plowed snow and graded gravel roads. Joel supported mechanics and he knew that keeping diesel fuel clean was an uphill battle.

He had also heard stories of disgruntled employees leaving their former employer special gifts.

*

Joel had two Gatorade bottles that were half-filled with diesel fuel. Before slipping them into his fanny pack and inspecting the two big trucks, Joel had cracked an egg into each bottle and vigorously shaken each one, individually, for sixty seconds to create an emulsion that resembled Ranch Dressing.

During his inspection, Joel poured the "Ranch Dressing" into the fuel tank of each truck.

The bacteria and fungi that had been clinging to life had just received a million-fold dose of water, protein and essential minerals. Not only that, but the emulsion consisted of a billion tiny globules that had a near infinite surface area, thus making the astronomically large windfall very available to those bacteria and fungi.

In warm weather, bacteria can double their numbers every twenty minutes. The weather was exceptionally warm for mid-September. Joel was not going to be disappointed.

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