by Kay Heitsch
When Bill opened the door of the cab of the 18 wheeler, I had no idea what adventure would lie ahead of me in the next 12 days covering 4,773 miles. I struggled to climb into the front seat. Wow, I was sitting up a lot higher than I expected. Bill told me there wasn't much room inside the cab, so I shouldn't bring too much stuff. I got the necessities, in my opinion, and of course my knitting and Dr. Peale booklets.
We started out in Ohio after visiting our darling grandbaby Noah and went to Kentucky for an 11:00 pm pick-up. Right away, I decided I shouldn't drink my morning coffee. Then I thought I shouldn't drink very much water either because I knew I'd have to stop and use the bathroom. I usually drink 3 cups of coffee in the morning, so I had a splitting headache before too long. We stopped, and I had the bright idea to buy Excedrin because it had caffeine in it. Believe it or not, this worked. Yay, I was on a roll.
I put my knitting bag on the floor in front of me and grabbed the needles, and started to knit another cell phone sack. I planned to put a Bible verse in the bags and give them away to people on the journey. Since we'd lived in Kentucky many years ago, I was really excited to see some areas that were familiar to me. I love the horse farms and beautiful racehorses. Kentucky looked as pretty as I had remembered.
That night at 11:00 pm, we pulled into the plant where we were supposed to pick up a load of windshields. There was only one small problem...they were still manufacturing them. As they finished one, they'd put it in the trailer. Around 3:00 am Bill asked me if I needed to use the bathroom. Not all, but some plants will not allow drivers to use their bathrooms; of course, this plant was one of them. Bill unhooked the trailer from the cab, and we drove 3 miles down the road to a Wal-mart only to find they would not allow trucks in their parking lot. We parked about a block away, and we both ran, holding hands to the bathroom. I don't know if it was because I wasn't fully awake or what, but this experience almost seemed fun for some reason. We were both laughing at the craziness of it all.
The next night I woke up with a sudden urge that I had to go to the bathroom. I reached over, which wasn't far as we were on a twin mattress, and told Bill I had to go to the bathroom right now. He sat up and put his clothes and shoes on, and rushed me into the truck stop. I wanted Bill to go with me as we were in a parking lot with many other trucks. I felt kind of uncomfortable walking alone between many (sometimes as many as 100 or more) semis to use the bathroom...I soon got over that. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew I had a UTI (urinary tract infection). I was in real trouble, and I knew it.
The next day we stopped at Wal-Mart, and I bought some over-the-counter pills, which helped with the discomfort, but they were not going to take care of the infection. A day or so later, I was really getting sick. I called my friend Cindy, and she looked up the phone number of my doctor. I gave the office a call, and it wasn't long before my doctor called me back. My doctor was able to call in an RX to the Wal-Mart in Grand Blanc, and I could pick up my RX at any other Wal-Mart we happened to stop at along the way. I was very relieved to start taking the antibiotic. Bo, my doctor, who is also my friend, asked if I was allergic to any antibiotic. I told her I didn't think I was, but wouldn't you know I was allergic to this. I broke out all over with a rash.
I wondered what I'd do without my daily walks, but on most days, I did get to take some walks. Most plants aren't exactly located in the best areas, but I walked around anyway. We stopped at some nice rest areas, and I was able to walk around there while Bill caught a few minutes of sleep. I'd take a break and sit at a picnic table with my knitting, and people would walk over and talk.
I found some names of towns interesting on the trip: Coolville, Ohio, Guysville, Ohio, Promise Land, PA, and last but not least was Purgatory, MA. When we were driving through Purgatory, Bill was making some funny remarks about the town's name. All of a sudden, we saw flashing lights come up next to the truck. Oh my gosh, we were being pulled over. The police officer came up on my side of the car. There I sat, knitting away. By the look on his face, I don't think he was expecting to be seeing Ma and Pa Kettle by the look on his face. *~* He asked for Bill's logbooks and went back to his car. He wasn't gone long, and he walked around. He said he hadn't found any violations. Bill asked why he was stopping him, and he said he didn't need a reason to stop anyone. I'd just finished making a cell phone sack, so I slipped a Bible verse inside and handed it to the police officer. I told him it was for his wife, and I hoped he'd have a nice day. He gave me a big smile and thanked me. When we were pulling away, Bill said, "Well, satan sent out one of his angels to get us in Purgatory, but he couldn't find anything wrong." We both had a laugh, but we were happy to be on our way. We were about half an hour from our next stop, and praise the Lord, we made it on time.
I found the people I met on this trip to be amiable. I told Bill how surprised I was that all the truckers were so friendly to me. He said, "Do you know why?" I said, "Well, no, do they think I'm a "Lot Lizard" (hooker)?" Bill said, "No, it's the way you smile and look at them in the eyes. Most people don't make any eye contact, and you do." I started to pay attention, and it was true. I wanted to be kind and friendly, especially after knowing how hard it was living on the road. We all can use a smile.
I gave out several cell phone sacks plus dishcloths and, of course, Dr. Peale's booklets. Every person I gave one to was an exciting story. I felt terrific inside to see the smile on their faces when I would tell them I wanted to provide them with something I had made. I thanked the women who cleaned the bathrooms at the rest areas and gave them a dishcloth. I really appreciated their hard work, believe me. I gave a cell phone sack to the lady who cleaned the showers at the truck stop, too. You don't know how good it feels to take a nice hot shower in a clean shower room.
I gave a cell phone sack to a woman I assumed was a "lady of the evening," if you know what I mean. She was an interesting person who had some serious mental issues. She was amazed. I wanted to give her something for free. She thought this little bag would be suitable for her cigarettes and lighter, and who knows what else. I hope she saw the little Bible verse I put inside.
I saw very few women traveling with their husbands. One night we were sitting in the truck watching what I call "the dance" (truckers maneuvering to park) when I saw a woman walk by with her husband. For some reason, I told Bill I would go in and give her one of the tiny cell sacks. I jumped out of the truck and went into the bathroom... there she was, brushing her teeth. I never have too much trouble talking to strangers, so I just started to talk to her. I don't know what I said, but she asked me this question. "Do you know why I started to ride with my husband?" Of course, I didn't. She went on to tell me how her teenage son had died in a motorcycle accident in 1988. I told her my teenage son Todd had been killed in a car accident in 1988 too. Mary went on to say how hard it had been for her to ever talk to anyone about her son because no one understands. She was in awe that I had come in that bathroom, and after all these years, she had found someone she could talk to who would understand. We hugged each other, knowing the pain we both had been through. I gave her the cell phone sack with the Bible verse inside. Mary's husband was waiting for her, and she told him how very grateful she was after all these years to meet me. They both agreed it was no accident; we were brought together.
Our trip covered MI, OH, KY, WV, VA, MD, PA, NY, CT, MA, RI, and NC. Every state had its own beauty and exciting roads in an 18 wheeler. It's quite a ride climbing up a mountain road, going 25 mph, and flying down. Bill called them dragonfly hills, dragging up and flying down.
On my final trip home, I stopped at a McDonald's to get a cup of coffee. I met a fascinating man. We ended up sitting together and talking for about an hour. We both shared stories about our lives, and we had a prayer. Somehow meeting Paul just made the trip complete.
I'm sure I'll take another trip. My doctor already told me to take an RX with me next time, just if I need it. I'd like to go out west and see the Rocky Mountains. Oh my, can you imagine the view I'll have sitting up high in that cab?
