On The Road Again

I was lucky enough to start up, own, and operate a small trucking company with my ex for over 12 years. In that time, I got to go out with him a handful of times when we were able to line up childcare. That wasn’t easy.

That time was my vacation if you will. I think mothers need and deserve small breaks, as do fathers, to rest, relax, and regather who they are. I also believe that couples need time to be couples away from the children, or they’ll find themselves as strangers who co-exist when the children are grown.

At any rate, that was our time. My ex was a driver before we met. That was his lifelong dream. In fact, he’s still driving to this day. I admire that he had a dream, went after it, and continues to enjoy earning a living doing what he loves. Not many can say that.

We started our company a couple of years into being together. The money was great, though the stresses were equally as great. Maintenance, fuel, economic downturns, weather, and a host of other challenges awaited us in ways we could have never anticipated.

None of that is the point, so I’ll get back on track.

My passion was reading (and writing of course). I would sit in the passenger seat and read for hours and hours. I’d take small breaks to take in the scenery around us, talk to him, call to check on the kids, or whatever else, then go back to my books. I probably read a book or more every day that I was out with him.

We’d typically have to purchase new books at our delivery stores or truck stops. Sometimes he’d get frustrated with me, telling me that I was letting the world go by while living in my books. However, I took in more than he knew.

Staring out at the different skylines or landscape would give me time to contemplate a book I had finished or to formulate my hypothesis on how my books would end. As a matter of fact, staring out the window during one of our trips was how/when the thought for the first novel I started to write came from. I actually hand wrote half of that novel sitting in the passenger seat of a 2004 Freightliner Century Class. I still have the notebook (well, the final notebook as I went through several). That novel has not been released, but will be the 5th released in the Murder Mindset Series.

While there are thousands of miles that went by in a blur because my face was in the midst of some Dean Koontz or James Patterson adventure, I was able to take in several states. I do remember going through all of the western states, much of the midwest, and clear across all of the southern states. Going over the bridge looking at the lights of New Orleans was quite magical.

We didn’t really get to stop in many places because it’s somewhat difficult to maneuver with a semi and 53 foot trailer, not to mention typically being under a load with a deadline.

We did get to get out and see some baby gators in Jacksonville, Florida. That’s where I got to enjoy my first Waffle House experience. (It was much better in the middle of a drunken night years later in the Destin area.)

I was able to stop by and say hi to some family when we passed through Oklahoma, though I literally mean say hi. We were there less than thirty minutes, as the clock was ticking.

We may have even broken some rules and taken the kids on a trip or two. I’ll save that story for another time!