I was busy again.
I left Virginia with a load of raw chicken for Elizabeth, New Jersey. I delivered, cleaned out the trailer then grabbed just five pallets of cookware out of Trenton, destined for a warehouse in Quincy, Massachusetts, just south of Boston.
"Once you unload that, be ready to ride again," said my dispatcher, as she was setting me up sincs freight was booming heavy on the east coast.
I wanted to deliver it all with the holidays coming, and me looking to play Santa Claus to my kids even though they were grown and well established.
"Wayne, we've all got jobs, and you need to take a break, perhaps a vacation," said my oldest son.
"You little shit, I've told you three about calling me by my first name," I told him as I was rolling from Trenton via 95.
He laughed it off while I was serious, as he was poking the bear while I burning the highway.
"Just looking out for the guy that always looked out for us," he said to clean things up.
My boy was right, as to the underworld I was nothing but nomadic slut, but to them I was their hero for I loved my kids, and would always see to it they had "backup" if they ever needed it. The recurring holiday season was extra motivation for me to roll, and here I was, driving north on I-95, doing what I did best, besides being naked or being a father.
I was close to crossing into New York state when I noticed a scent through my air conditioning, and a certain rumble from my engine. I shifted gears after slowing down briefly, and the noise seemed to get louder. I pulled over, got out and pulled down the noise to check things out as more smoke seemed to exude. I gave it an hour to let the smoke dissipate, and it did, so I cranked the engine and wouldn't hear the weird noise as I pushed on. I ended up rolling through New York City and fared well, making over the state line of Connecticut in no time. I was thinking what happened earlier on was some fluke, but the noises came back, and so did the smoke, so I managed to press on another 50 miles until the smell got louder. I'd pull over immediately after this and popped the nose, to see the smoke coming thicker, and flowing faster while a leak was happening in front of me.  I immediately got on the phone for roadside assistance.
"Sir, we could have someone come and check you out. Where are you," said a female rep.
I gave my location, and she advised that I park the trailer so I'd do just that, taking the loaded trailer to a broker company's lot just five minutes away, while being trailed by Davey, a tow truck driver. I packed three sets of clothing items, then unhooked completely before he'd hook me to his rig, only for him to tow me 50 miles to the Freightliner shop in Hartford on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.
I notified my team at my terminal in Oklahoma City, and another driver would scoop the trailer and finish the mission while I took my ride to get worked on.
"Say, I think I wanna do what you do," Davey told me during the trip.
We kicked off a hearty conversation on trucking, with me giving him the pros and cons of the gig as he experienced one first hand. I gave him my background, and why I chose the profession as he seemed even more intrigued. The handsome Davey, a smooth scalped, Oakley shades wearing bear with a thick and long, beautiful Viking beard, had his blue eyes locked in the entire time. Once we made it to Hartford he explained why he wanted to do it, and it made sense to him. I was listening, but noticed a few things on the dashboard of his rig that caught my eye.
"I'm part Cherokee," he told me when I asked of the caricatures on the dash.
"Ok! I'm part Italian, part German and part Irish," I told him as we share that information, then phone numbers.
"I'm a Bronx native, but I was born in Oklahoma," he told me.
He claimed this was the right fit for him in order to support his wife and two young children. The 30-year-old and I shook hands, and I would notice that the shop was closed, as it was Sunday.
"I gotta find me a place to crash tonight," I told him.
I found a Comfort Inn nearby, and so I requested an Uber and would remain in his rig until it came. I was fascinated by the caricatures, and how handsome, and responsible this young man was that I quickly admired. The Uber would come, and we both climbed out of the truck to shake and hug, before he darted off to his next gig.
I rode off, too, and barely 20 minutes later I was checked in and receiving a key to my room, after booking for three nights in anticipation of diagnosing the issue with my rig. I got naked and showered, ordered food while still naked as I had no intention of getting dressed until the next morning. I woke at 8 a.m., and found an Uber to take me to the truck, then into the reception office of the shop as it just opened.
"Welcome, how can we help you," asked a tall, bearded Craig.
I explained the issue, and he advised there were two other rigs in front of mine and requested the key.
"Boss, I promise we'll have a diagnosis within two hours," he told me. "And depending on the issue, we'll have her in here in no time."
I sat in the lobby drinking coffee and eating a donut, with Craig coming to me not even 30 minutes later with some bad news.