Dave was sitting on a stool in a truck stop getting ready to eat breakfast. It was shaping up to be a dismal rainy day in Boston. The temperature was not bad, but the rain was just a steady shower from a boring grey sky. He was on his way to pick up a load, and then heading west. He would drop off, and pick up more. He genuinely enjoyed driving his rig around the country. He also enjoyed his freedom. The truck was his, so he could pick his loads, and effectively decide where he was going to visit next.
The waitress walked up behind the counter and roughly placed his order in front of him, and then filled his cup with coffee. She was already walking away from him as he said "thanks". She showed no signs that she actually liked her job, or cared about him as a customer. He made a mental note that any tip would be sparse.
As he glanced out front he noticed that a patrol car had pulled up, and the officer looked to be scolding someone. The rain streaked windows made it impossible to tell what his arms were flying around about, but he looked upset about something. Dave turned his attention back to his, apparently overcooked, scrambled eggs.
As he inserted a small fork full of the rubbery blob into his mouth he heard the door open. A bag was dropped on the floor a couple of stools down and a young woman took the seat. She was removing her rain gear which was dripping on the floor still.
"What can I get you" the waitress asked in the same crappy tone she had spoken to Dave in. Clearly she didn't enjoy her job
"I'll have some scrambled eggs, wheat toast, and a cup of orange juice please. Do you have real butter for the toast? " the young lady asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Of course we do" the waitress snapped as she strode back to the kitchen area.
Dave's interest was piqued. Its a fairly miserable day out. What could she be excited about in this place? Certainly not the scrambled eggs she was about to be served. "I hope yours is better than mine" he commented to her after the waitress had disappeared into the bank.
"Excuses me?" The young lady said.
Dave turned to face her, and got his first look at her face. She was pretty. She had light brown hair that hung down past her shoulders, and deep blue eyes that seemed to peer right into his soul. Her lips had a puffiness to them that he found attractive. Her nose was proportionate to her face, and her eye brows were well trimmed. Her skin looked soft and inviting. He imagined what her mouth would feel like if he were to kiss her.
"The eggs" he said, tapping his fork on his plate. "Mine were overcooked, and not that warm when they arrived. Put her shitty attitude on top of it all, and this might be the worst breakfast I've had in a long time."
She smiled at him. Her nice white teeth were brilliantly displayed, and he sensed some warmth in her grin. He guessed that she was probably about twenty years old, maybe twenty- two. She looked to have a fairly small frame holding some nice sized breasts, but still, the thick clothing she wore made it hard to be sure.
"I'm Dave by the way." He added.
"Nice to meet you Dave. My name is Catherine, but everyone just calls me Cat" she said with a slight giggle in her voice.
He looked down at her bag on the floor. "Where ya headed Cat?"
"I don't really have a destination in mind. I figured that I would just head West, and see where I wound up. Initially I thought California, but that's too clichΓ© for me. So I'm thinking Oregon or Washington now." She seemed to be studying him for some sort of reaction. "What do you think?"
He raised his right eye brow at the question, and took another bite of the now cold overcooked eggs. Then he turned back to her and gave her a good look. He let his eyes roam over her from head to toe. She had on rain boots, and her baggy pants were tucked into them. It looked as though she probably had some long underwear on under them, for added warmth. The jacket she wore looked like it was probably warm, as well as water resistant. Too loose to get a good idea of what her figure looked like. He settled his gaze back to her eyes. "I think that if you are planning on walking you have ample time to decide where your final destination will land you. Or, if you catch rides, slightly less time, but you will need to be careful. There are some people out there that will gladly take advantageof a young woman such as yourself Cat."
"What about you Dave, where are you heading?" she turned her attention back to the bar as the waitress approached. She dropped the plate in front of her, spun around, and headed off without even a word. Cat picked up the fork, cut into her eggs, and stuffed some into her mouth. The grimace on her face told him she enjoyed hers as much as he was enjoying his.
Dave took a sip of his coffee. "I'm heading West. I have some stops along the way, but I typically end up in South California, and then track North. Sometimes all the way to Vancouver before I turn back East."