This is America in 2026
I have migrant workers installing tile and a new toilet in my guest bathroom today, and I don't have enough floor tile for the job. (I thought there was enough left over from the other bathroom remodel.) They want me to go to Home Depot and pick up another box of tile, but I can't leave my home office this morning due to work meetings/classes (I lead webinars). I offered them cash to go pick it up -- Home Depot is just a mile away -- and they were strangely insistent that I do it.
At first, I thought it was a language problem. One of the guys got his wife on the phone, and she translated. No problem with my terrible Spanish; we understood each other. Polite smiles. No further details... then, I remembered: This is America in 2026. If I were them, I'd avoid Home Depot, too.