When Mom and Dad were killed in an automobile accident five years ago, my brother and I each received three hundred and seventy thousand dollars and the title to the family home. I was just about eighteen and Robbie had recently turned twenty-one. I decided to go on to college and Robbie bought a truck. Of course, it wasn't just any truck. He bought a brand-new, fully loaded Peterbilt semi-tractor and trailer. It had everything- refrigerator, TV, computer and a full-blown sleeper cab.
Robbie took almost an hour telling me about all the features of his new tractor-trailer. I was very impressed and Robbie was itching to hit the open road. His first step was to get the required driver's license. It wasn't easy but he passed all the exams and got driving experience from a local driving school. In less than a month, he had taken delivery of his truck and got his driving credentials and was ready to roll. He had even rounded up some smaller runs to get his feet wet, and away he went.
In the meantime I enrolled in the local university and began classes when the summer ended. For five years, I busted my hump and I got a master's degree in both business administration and computer science. I stayed in our house and did little except chug away at my classes. To say I had no social life would be a colossal understatement. Even though Robbie was out on the road most of the time, he did better in that department than I did. Whenever he was in town, he seemed to always have a lot of friends around. Friends-yes, but no real serious girlfriends. Being on the road so much sort of inhibited his social life in this area.
By the time I graduated in June of my fifth year, I was ready for some rest and some fun. Getting two master's degrees was a real grind, but I felt it was worth it because I could probably get a position nearly anywhere. After all, I graduated near the top of my class in both disciplines. Robbie arranged his runs so that he had my graduation week at home. He said he was very proud of my drive and accomplishment and that he wouldn't miss it for the world.
As we drove home from the ceremony, he asked me what I had in mind to do next. "I'm going to sleep for the next month and maybe by fall I'll be ready to look for a job."
"Sounds like a plan. I don't think I could have kept up your schedule for five years like you did. I probably would have crashed after six months. You are amazing."
"Well, I guess I sort of amazed myself. Once I got into the grind I just couldn't let up."
"You might say you are going to sleep for a month but I'll bet you won't be able to kick back for that long."
"I'm going to try to prove you wrong."
"Rather than sleep, I think you need to work on getting a little fun in your life. I bet you don't even know what fun is. I'm meeting a couple of my friends tonight at a club for some drinks. You want to go?"
"Well, do I have time for a nap?"
"We aren't going until nine tonight."
"That would give me almost four hours to recover. I think I would like to go. What kind of a place is it and what should I wear?"
"It's a nice place but not too upscale. Anything casual would be fine. You can ride with me-Jack and Tom will just meet us there."
"Ok, just wake me up about seven."
I woke up at six-thirty and was ready to go in about an hour. I was actually sort of excited because I hadn't been to a club in over three years. I wondered if I could still dance. These five years really had taken a toll. Thinking back, I could remember only having maybe a half dozen dates in all this time.
"So, what do you guys do at these clubs?"
"Mostly sit around drinking beer and watching the girls."
"Don't you try to hook up with these girls, do a little dancing?"
"Once in a while, but usually we just sit and watch."
"This Jack and Tom-they're not losers, are they?"
"No. I've known them from high school. I used to hang around with them a lot. You probably met them back in the day. Of course, you were just my little sister then. You won't recognize them, I'm sure. They probably won't remember you either."
"Do they dance?"
"Jack is pretty good but I don't think Tom even knows how. Like I said, we usually just sit and drink."
"I think maybe I might like to dance. How about you, are you any good?"
"I'm all right."
"Well, maybe between you and Jack, I can see if I remember how. You wouldn't mind dancing with your sister, would you?"
"Nobody would know. I don't think I will tell Jack and Tom that I'm bringing you. I don't think I'll even tell them that you are my little sister. You can just be a friend I ran into."
"Yeah, that will be fun. Just don't be grabbing my ass when we dance. And I don't put out on the first date."
"Very funny. I'll be cool. We're here and I see Jack and Tom by the door."
I woke up the next day in my bed wearing only my panties. I vaguely remembered dancing a little with Jack and my brother. Robbie did grab my ass a couple times. I also recall that drinks kept coming and that I drank them right on down. The question in the back of my mind was who undressed me and put me to bed. I hoped that I really didn't put out on the first date. I finally dragged myself downstairs where Robbie was eating a sandwich.
"Well, good afternoon, Sleepyhead," he chuckled.
"Yeah, right, Asshole. Who undressed me?"
"Your big brother took care of that,"
"And I suppose you did it with a blindfold on."
"No, but it was a little bit dark."
"You liar. I suppose you got a good look, didn't you? How come you let me get so drunk?"
"You wanted to have some fun, didn't you?"
"Well, I guess, but my head doesn't feel too much like fun now."
"Yeah, you're just a lightweight. You know, Barb, I was thinking. Tomorrow I am leaving for a short little two-day run. I think it would be fun if you wanted to ride along."
"Great! When do we leave? What do I need to bring?"
"I thought we could get under way about seven and you only need to bring your jammies, make-up and maybe a change of clothes."
"Can I wear shorts and can I drive, too?"
"Shorts are all right but I can't let you drive. If I got caught, I would lose my license. I already got busted once for running overweight."
We got under way a little before seven. I was amazed how excited I was. Even though Robbie's truck was five years old, it rode pretty smooth but was pretty loud. I loved being up so high and being able to look down into other vehicles. By nine we had made our first pick-up and were on the road. We were going to drive about six hours and deliver our load and then go another two hours and stop and get our second load which had to be delivered at ten the next morning. We pulled into a truck stop right at seven. After we had dinner, we went next door to a little bar and had a couple beers before returning to the truck to get some sleep. I hadn't really thought about the sleeping arrangement but Robbie assured me that I would be safe with him in the sleeper.
I changed into my jammies while he checked the tires. When he climbed back in, he just took off his shirt and pants and slid into the bed beside me. He rolled away from me and mumbled "Nite, Barb."
"Good night, Robbie. I can't tell you how much fun my first day on the road was- I loved it. I just wish I could drive."
"Well, maybe you should take the test and I could give you lessons. Good night again."
And he was out. I couldn't get to sleep and laid on my back staring up at the ceiling. The next thing I knew it was getting light and Robbie was spooned up against my back. I elbowed him and he woke right up. "Now who's a sleepy-head?" He grumbled and quickly threw his clothes on.
"We have to get going. Why don't you go into the restaurant and order some food? I'll pull the truck around and gas up real quick. I'll just have some eggs, toast and coffee."
"Ok. Three eggs over easy, right?
"That'll do it."
We ate and were on the road a little after seven-thirty. I asked Robbie how much it costs to fill up the truck, and he said it ran over three hundred dollars almost every time. "Wow! The oil companies must really love you truckers."
"Well, I think the government loves us more. The fuel taxes are outrageous. I'm sure they make more money in taxes than the oil companies make in profit."
"Speaking of profit, how are you doing? I hope you don't mind my asking."
"Not at all. Buying the truck took a big piece of Mom and Dad's money and I lost some in the first year, but now I'm getting back on track a little. The largest problem is the time when I'm running empty and sitting idle waiting for loads, at home or at stops. A driver can only drive for so many hours in a day. There's the government again. Also, the maintenance on one of these babies is a lot. You know a full set of tires can run as much as five thousand and a major engine overhaul can be over twenty-five."
"So, the real trick is to keep on rolling like the song says. Maybe I should look into getting licensed. If we both drove we could keep the truck making money for longer times, right?"
