I am a truck driver in oil field.

It's been a rough, what, year and a half.

Lost a vehicle, lost a house.

So right now, my house, there is no walls and one of my rooms because we were remodeling.

Halfway through the oil field went to shit.

So now we're in a half-constructed house.

In a town like this, everybody suffers.

You know, you would think it's only a problem for the people that work in the oil field when it declines, but it's not.

Thanks to the hardworking citizens like you, the United States of America is now the number one energy superpower anywhere in the world.

So congratulations.

And you always say this next time the oil field comes back up, we're going to save but then it goes up, and that's the last thing you do.

They don't know...

When it's good, its good.

(Phone ringing) (Phone ringing) Hey, Hello (laughing) Whats going on?

What are you up to?

Nothing, just got off work ate some food.

Just sitting around being lazy.

How are you?

Good.

Busy?

I was, but not anymore.

So how long have you lived in Denver city?

All my life.

35 years.

I was like 10,11...

It quickly got boring as ... around 14, 15.

How would you... how would you describe Denver City to someone who's never been there before?

Just a small town.

Very supportive.

Small town.

There's one grocery store.

There's one two, three four... or maybe like 10 churches.

11 churches.

Schools, It's just one.

Like, there's one for each.

What about gas station?

There's five... And restaurants?

We lost some because of COVID, but we have we have about eight.

I had just turned 21 and I was a bartender at like one of the scummy bars and Hobbs.

There was a guy in there that worked for Halliburton, and we started talking and hes like, Yeah, bro, hes like I can get you in.

It's basically like the army.

Like, it's like literally there's recruiters and they like, they promise you the world and you can go wherever you want and see whatever you want, and you're going to make $120,000 a year.

All you got to do is sign in dotted line, you know?

Me and Shaylie had just really moved in together, like had our first little house, and she was like, I'm ready to, like, get married and have babies and, like, buy our own house and plan a future like start a family.

And I was like, Yeah, but it's not going to happen, Working as a bartender, you know, like this is some scummy shithole that, you know, people were like counting their quarters to get a beer.

They weren't going to drop me 20 bucks tip, you know?

So I just went and put in an application and the guy calls and I just kind of went for it.

(overlapping audio) Record low price of oil...

The demand for oil... what were seeing is at a level... Prices have turned negative...

...Very interesting... News on Wall Street today... Oil prices plunged below zero.

That is the lowest they have been... Where you going?

Got it right here man, where are all the muscles?

Let's see them (mumbled voices) Go like that... Oh man...

I think it went down because it always goes down on the election year.

And that was scary when it went below zero.

I remember growing up, my friends would move away.

Youd be like, this is the year they're going to move again every four years.

It just always happens.

It just happens that we got the virus, too.

Get close to her!

Put your arm behind her.

(laughs) Shes not gonna bite.

Like at school, Im kinda known as the girl that tumbles The girl that flips.

Politics comes up a lot between me and my friend group.

Yeah.

I don't like talking about politics, my friends, because, like, they get like, angry and one of them gets very judgemental, Im just like girl chill, were 15 girl.

Like if I support Trump and I talk about it, Im like I don't support him as the person he is, but like as president because he's our president and he supports the oil industry.

And my friends are like, you support a racist and a rapist, president and all these things why I shouldnt.

And I'm just kind of like I feel really attacked sometimes.

I got out in November and by February it was it was done.

Do you think you will go back to the oil field?

Are you like happy being away from it?

Im happy being away from it.

My back doesn't hurt my just everything.

General health.

No more oil field.

How many years did he work in the oil field?

Like 14.

That's a while.

Yeah.

I don't know.

I just.

It's just a lot of wasted time, if you ask me.

I mean, being out there in a ... truck all the time.

Yeah, I mean, it probably feels that way now, but, you know, you were you were providing.

Yeah.

(mumbled talking in background) So how does it feel now?

Right now you're comfortable.

Like we're both making money.

Decent money.

Do you feel stuck in Denver city?

No, because it's It's different now, like, you know what I mean?

Like.

Like, like this weekend, I have to 3 ... shows.

I'm not at the beck and call of from oil field tycoon ... How would it feel leaving Denver City?

It would be sad but I've learned that people leave and if they're, you know, friends, then they keep up.

But uh, uh everyone left us.

You left me.

Your mom left.

Your grandma left.

You know, my friend Jasmine moved... Denver City is only for a short while.

Part of life.

I will let you go.

Hopefully you got you got enough of my blabbering to keep you busy.

Love you to tell Sam hi Love you and I'll talk to you soon, okay?

Love you, too.

Okay.

Bye sweetie.

Alright, bye.