Midnight cowboy
08.26.2003The interstate was meant to be driven after midnight. That's when the herds of semi trucks come out. In the daytime, semis are rare and cumbersome. But at night. Ah! It's like a herd of blue whales, large but graceful creatures gliding past each other in the dark.
This is what the interstate's for. Sure, it's also for driving long distances. If you're not flying or taking a train. But road trips are much more fun on smaller highways. Where you can see the countryside change from cornfield, to wheatfields, to small towns and lonely gas pumps. That's how you see America.
But late late at night, in a large bucking bronco of a U-haul truck, listening to country music on the radio, swimming the black asphalt and the deep blue sky w/ semi trucks. Ah! That's what the interstate's for.
I've always imagined what it must be like to be a trucker. Steering a big rig through endless states, breaking the monotony on a CB radio. It's the pre-internet internet. Think about it. Two old friends who rarely meet face to face, but talk nightly. Like IM pals.
"Breaker, breaker. This is Timberwolf89 looking for my good buddy TexasJack. Over."
"This is TexasJack. How ya doin' Timber? Over."
"Nothin' new here. Just haulin' oranges to Tuscalooga. You? Over."
"Stoppin' for gas near DeBuque. Haulin' some o' that thar Walmart bullshit. Over."
"He, he. I heard that. Well, catcha later ol' boddy. Maybe get some coffee in Colorada if we meet up. Over."
"Sounds good. Over."
The ride wasn't so bad. I had two cats in the cab to keep me company. They didn't want to ride in their carriers, so they crawled around inside for a while. They stopped meowing before Battle Creek. By the time we passed Olivet, Sophie & Annie were settled in next to each other on the passenger's seat.
They got a little worried when I stopped far gas south of Lansing. After that, Sophie pressed up next to me as if she couldn't get close enough. A ittle ball of black fur looking for security. Just past Lansing, as I turned onto M-52, Sophie's curiosity won out and she sat in my lap, paws on the steering wheel, peering into the darkness. Owosso and Saint Charles and the little hamlets between Lansing and Saginaw interested her, and she peered out the window as we drove on. Annie, my lazy fat cat, napped most of the way.
We finally pulled into my parents' driveway around 3am. I took Annie & Sophie into the house, were they disappeared into little corners and have yet to come out. I crawled into the basement bedroom and slept 'till 5pm.
Posted by Miguel at 08:28 PM
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