Manuel's

"Did you get your house painted this weekend?" Emma asked Sofia.
"Yes, I placed an order with Manuel's, like you suggested. It was only $200 for the paint and labor! They are so cheap! And they did such a nice job!" Sofia exclaimed excitedly.
"They are amazing, aren't they? Did you see them in action?" Emma asked.
"Yes!" Sofia exclaimed. "It was gross, actually! It totally creeped me out. At first it was okay - the truck pulled up and about ten little guys came out and took pictures or something. I guess they were surveying the house...? I don't know, but anyway, after about a minute, they went back to the truck and then a swarm of plastic things flew out and covered one section of the house. That was creepy! They crawled along the walls like insects. I stopped watching at that point."
"But they were done in less than an hour, weren't they?" Emma asked.
"Yes! I saw the truck drive off and thought something was wrong. I went out to see what the trouble was and saw that they were done! Completely finished! $200 and they were done in less than an hour - the whole house! I looked around - it was perfect. Not a drip, a streak, or a missed spot anywhere!" Sofia replied.
"My brother works for the company that developed the painting software Manuel's uses. He says all the property maintenance companies are switching to swarm technology. It is the only way to compete. They can't afford to hire people anymore," Emma said.
"Well, your brother must be making a killing," Sofia said.
"Yes, the company is doing really well. They're making millions, and there're less than 20 people in the whole office," Emma said.
"Wow, he's one of the lucky ones," Sofia said softly.
"How's Brian?" Emma asked after a moment. "Isn't he a programmer, too? Is he still looking for work?"
"Yes, he's a programmer, but no, he gave up looking for work about a year ago," Sofia answered. "All he's been doing lately is tending the vegetable garden. He says he's a farmer now.  He helps some of the other guys in the neighborhood with their plants, too. He says the anonymous economy is a lottery; he's only exchanging favors with people he knows from now on. He gets pretty angry..."
"Oh, sorry - it looks like they're waking up now. Both Liam and Olivia are already kicking in their cribs and starting to fuss. Back to work!" Emma said while getting up.
"At least we have work," Sofia said softly, getting up as well.