Sunday, August 18, 2013

I Feel Like I'm Being Followed

Oh, right, we were being followed.

This was our escort vehicle, the van that followed us around for two days, keeping other cars from running into us or under us.  The woman who ran this pilot car service was a gem. 

She started the business with her husband eight years ago because they wanted to see the country but couldn't figure out a way to afford all the travel.  They thought being escorts would do the trick.  Unfortunately, her husband died a year into their plan.  "He never got to see anything", she said as she sat in the sleeper of our truck, and it was obvious she wished things had gone differently.

She had a great smile, perfectly penciled eyebrows, and a cloud of white blond hair.  She was wearing a cute outfit and a pair of sparkly sandals.  Her voice was Florida southern and she was quick to laugh and call us honey.  And for her age - she had to be in her mid-seventies - she was quite spry.

She was tiny and smelled like
Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew.  I remember that's what older women all around me smelled like when I was a child.  It’s rich and spicy, a heavy, heady scent. When I worked for Estée Lauder back in the early nineties, I smelled it on a daily basis. Even tried to wear it once but it wasn’t for me.  It's great on old ladies, though.

I marveled at the fact that she drives all over the country, anywhere they need a pilot car service, by herself.  She said things like "you got an 18 steppin' up", meaning a big rig was getting ready to pass us, and "teeeeeyyn" all drawn out, short for 10-4.  She had her lingo down and she was on top of her game.   

If we're ever able to get her for an over-dimensional load again, we'll jump on it.  I wish everyone in the trucking industry were as pleasant and professional as she was.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Keeping Pace With The Seniors
2011: Island Bound
2010: Cristo Velato
2009: Flash Dancing Through Summer
2008: Another Day, Another 32 Things About Me
2007: A Bottle And A Nap Would Be Nice
2006: Because You Never Know When You’re Going To Need A Roman Candle
2005: Thank A Trucker

1 comment:

Gil said...

Makes you fellow good about mankind when you meet a person like her.