(Please read the previous two blogs
The Life of a Trucker Man and
More Life Lessons from a Trucker Man in order to catch the beginning of this story.)
I think that I was on a caffeine high by this point. My hands were starting to shake a bit, but since I just refilled my coffee mug I had to drink it, right? Maybe it was just something to do. Coffee is a great accompaniment to any stimulating conversation. So, we kept drinking…and talking…
“If you go to this particular mission in downtown St. Paul, I can’t remember the name of it though.” He pauses, closes his eyes and tries to remember. But to no avail he continues on, “Anyway, every Monday or Wednesday at 6pm you can go stand in line for an opportunity to see a dentist for free. You don’ t need insurance or anything. The first 12 individuals in line then return the next day and get free dental work. They will pull a tooth or do about anything you need done. During my life, I’ve been in places where I’ve needed to ask for help…but I’ve put in my fair share of helping others also.”
Once again I found myself smiling. I think this was his ammunition to lead our conversation once again in another direction. Without much prompting on my part, he freely shared some of his volunteering experiences. But there was one that he was particularly proud of. “A while back I lived in Western Nebraska. There was nothing for the youth to do but drink. I got sick of seeing this, so I rented a big warehouse and we would have dances. Of course these were alcohol free and chaperoned. It seemed to keep the kids out of trouble and it gave them something to do other than drink.”
He looked at the clock. So I did too. It was 4:30pm and the coffee shop closed in 30 minutes. “How long have you been a trucker?” I ask. “Are you ready to move on to something new again?”
“Oh, I’ve been truckin’ for about 13 years now,” he replies. “There was one year that I had about 30 different jobs. I used to be pretty hot tempered. I was looking for myself. Most people never truly discover themselves. But I feel pretty good about myself and where I am now.” He pauses for a minute, then adds, “I would love to drive the highway that connects Seattle to Alaska. I can switch trucking companies because I have a good driving record. But I am pretty settled. I like walleye fishing in the spring and this is a good place for that.”
He takes a sip of coffee and then lowers it again to rest on his knee. I can tell he is thinking about something that weights heavily on his mind and heart. Kind of reluctantly, he shares his thoughts, “Holidays are the hardest for me. With no family around I am alone. Sometimes I go to McDonalds, other times I eat cereal at home.” After a few seconds, he adds, “I don’t care though. I work again the next day anyway.”
This tugged at my heart. I didn’t really know what to say. My words seemed inadequate, and he kind of brushed off the whole situation with his last remark. “Do you have any relatives around?” I finally ask. “No, and I’ve never had a wife or kids. The good man upstairs kept me single. It’s been hard sometimes, but relationships take time. They need honesty, understanding, commitment and communication. You need to treat each other right and discover that inner connection. Too many people today only look on the surface.”
He stands up and walks to the door. “A lot of people don’t know themselves; so unfortunately, relationships only work half the time.” He drops his ‘to go’ coffee cup in the garbage. “Well, good luck and have a great time on your trip next year,” he adds as he opens the door and walks out.
I never caught his name. Nor did he ever ask mine. I relaxed into the couch and took the last sip of my coffee. Somehow the rest of it had disappeared over the last hour. It was five o’clock. I packed up my laptop, returned my coffee mug to the front counter and drove home… ‘while the thoughts of the trucker man rang through my head’.
