Truck Stop Love- beginning [794 words]
TRUCK STOP LOVE
He never understood it.
Love.
The holidays.
Family.
His feelings were still there. Rusted. No shine left. Warped just enough to let him live with all the goddamn evil things he kept doing.
A station wagon with a rear-facing seat cut him off, and his palms slapped the steering wheel. Sitting in the seat was a pale girl, about seven or eight, glaring at him. She wore a princess dress, and occasionally, the dying light from the sunset behind them bounced off the sequins that were scattered on her shoulder pads.
She smiled, her left front tooth missing, before giving him the finger and giggling.
Fucking brat.
He smiled back, turned his head sideways, stuck his tongue out, and dragged a stiff finger across his throat. Now Princess looked like she was going to be sick. She put her head down, letting her brown locks block her eyes, he knew, though, he knew she could feel his eyes on her.
A second later her hair flew wildly as the station wagon swerved. He saw the pieces of truck tire just in time to plow into them.
Fucking kids! Monsters. All of them!
He pulled over got out and surveyed the damage. While walking around the navy sedan, he saw that the right front tire was completely blown out. Another expense. He made his way around the trunk. His cleaning budget this month had really taken a bite out of the bank account. The fucking lightweight the other night couldn’t keep his stomach in the trunk until he got him out? People drove him crazy.
The freeway was sparse with traffic, it was 9:39 PM and wouldn’t you know it? His cell phone was dead. Your incompetence is annoying, always charge the goddamn phone.
The rain started coming down as he sat in his little Corolla with Eighteen wheelers rattling his windows as they blew by. He plugged his phone and charger into the car lighter and waited. He closed his eyes.
A dull light pushed through his eyelids, and they flew open. Behind him the lights shone so brightly the reflection off the mirrors blinded him. From the height of them, it had to be a big truck. What the hell do you want?
He checked his phone. 9:52 PM.
His eyes darted to the side mirror. A large moving shadow blocked the lights.
A lumberjack of a man with a pouched belly and oak branch limbs moved towards the driver side. As he got to the window, he took in a few heavy breaths, then he rotated his fist to say- roll it down. The man smiled big, like the dimwitted Rottweiler his stepdad had. Hit the thing with his dad’s tractor when he was fourteen. It was an interesting noise. He put the window down.
As soon as it cracked the big man spoke, “I saw what happened. And on behalf of all truckers, I am sorry.” He gave a big, heavy laugh, making his bushy handlebar mustache do the wave.
Who is this guy?
The Paul-Bunyan looking trucker had to be at least 6’5. Easily 300 pounds. The man leaned in real close resting his arms on top of the car, the Corolla's suspension ached.
“Yeah,” he said back. “No hard feelings.”
The big man rolled his plaid sleeves up his forearms and rested them on the window frame, “Name’s Jimmy or James? You friend?”
He rubbed his face to stall while he thought up a name. He really didn’t want to be connected to this area, don’t eat where you shit or don’t throw your shit where you eat. Whatever it was, he didn’t want that. “Kevin Johnson.”
Jimmy grabbed his shoulder through the window, and Jimmy's other hand met his for a wildly uneven shake. “Pleasure to meet you son.”
For a second Kevin thought the guy was going to get stuck in the window but somehow his large shoulder slinked out. “You too.” He replied.
“Come!” Jimmy said his eyes were no longer visible as he stood. “I’ll drive you into town. Get you a tow.”
Jimmy didn’t wait for Kevin though. No, Jimmy slogged back to the truck just expected him to run behind him. He wanted to kill that guy just for that. Or should he say? He was hoping he wouldn’t have to kill the guy. But if he did, he would have to do it quick and hope he stayed down.
Kevin got out of the car after grabbing a lighter and a pack of smokes. Then he reached back into the console and grabbed a 45. and tucked it into his belt and pulled his coat over it. He ran up to the truck and jumped into the passenger seat.