FOR THE LONG HAUL

When I was a kid my parents owned a trucking company. My dad would wake me up at 4am on days that I got to miss school and be his co-pilot. I would reluctantly roll my body off my Ninja Turtles sheets and wiggle down until my chubby little feet hit the cold floor. The aroma of brewing Foldgers coffee would fill the house as my mom packed our sandwiches in an old beat up plastic Igloo ice chest. She would pack my dad two sandwiches and pack me the same so I could be just like my hero. I was his little big boy and whatever she made for him she had to make for me. I would ask to hold the ice chest and metal Thermos but my underdeveloped arms didn’t have the wingspan for both. My dad laughed and handed me the metal capsule that looked like it could survive a nuke and put me in charge of his coffee. Now bundled in winter clothes and wrapped in my Transformers blanket and topped off with one of my dads old trucker hats that boasted his company logo, I was ready to hit the road. I can still remember him having to boost me up the metal ladder that leads to the cabin of the truck. It was as if I was climbing the steps that would lead me into a magical world. A place where it was just me and my dad and we were on a ship and if people below us on the land spoke our language by making an arm gesture, he would let me pull the chain that would release a roaring horn. My pudgy body finally made it to the top and as I opened the metal door a familiar scent instantly hit me. A true truckers favorite diffuser, a mixture of Armor All and diesel. I put my seat belt on with excitement because I knew this ship was finally about to sail. I yelled “all aboard!” as the engine turned and the glorious black smoke shot out of the polished stainless steel pipes. The ground would shake each time my dads tan suede work boot stepped on the gas until the clutch got pushed down and the grinding of first gear was slid into place. The road was about to be our voyage and the destination didn’t matter because everything through my curious eyes and those panoramic windows was vast and adventurous.  

SS©20 Trucker Caps will be hitting a truck stop near you. 

-Danny