Chapter 108

"Yeah. Then I need to get in to work. I'm supposed to be there at noon."

"Let's get dressed and go for breakfast somewhere. I'd like to go back to the place we were in last night. I liked their gravy."

As we started getting dressed she asked, "Are my tits Ok?"

"Not really. I generally don't like women with big boobs." She would have had to lie to say she was a "B" cup.

She smiled and hit me. I smiled and said, "I like them both but mostly the left one."

"Why the left one?"

"When I drive and you ride shotgun it's the one closest to me."

"Oh. Bra or no bra this morning?"

"Take it with you and wear it when you go to work, please."

We got out of the rig and walked to the car. At the restaurant we had a good breakfast. For most people it could clog an artery but as long as I didn't eat like that often and worked hard I could survive it.

"You know, I won't let you have this kind of food very often."

"Good. Once a month is about enough. Most mornings I'm a cereal, toast and coffee guy."

"Do you smoke?"

"You were there. Did you see any smoke?"

"I meant cigarettes, pipe, cigars, grass?"

"I meant after sex. The answer to all the others is, I tried them and liked kissing better. Do you smoke?"

"You were there."

"You put the flames out with your juices. I take that as a No."

"Never started. Don't like kissing someone who smokes."

"Then I won't start."

Melissa asked the waitress for a piece of paper and the borrowed her pen. She wrote her address and phone number on the paper. She handed it to me.

"I'll be home at eight-thirty. Today is payday. If I go with you tonight I never have to come back. I accept the barter."

"I think I know what I get. What do you get?"

"I get a man who promises to treat me as his partner in every way. I get to travel with him, share his life, his bed, his vacations and his adventures. I get his kisses, his cock and his arms around me every night. I get a life insurance policy on him so that if anything does happen I have something to fall back on."

We drove to Hi-Country Trucking and when I parked a man came out the door. He was about my age. Actually he was three years older than me. We got out of the car and before Melissa could say anything the man said, "Sam! I see you met Melissa. Isn't she what I said?"

She turned to me and said, "You know Carl?"

"A passing acquaintance. We've been brothers all my life."

"But, you didn't approach me."

"First rule of a good barter, don't look too anxious. I didn't lie to you at all. I just didn't tell you I was in town to meet you. I did that. Now I want you to come on the road with me and live with me for the rest of our lives."

"You asked her?" Carl asked.

"Yes! You were right, she's perfect!"

"I need two weeks notice!"

"No, you don't. You hired Mandy to replace Melissa three weeks ago. She can work out today and then we're gone."

"Wait! You came to town to meet me? Carl told you to come? What did he tell you?"

We walked inside. Carl went back to his office and Melissa took me to hers.

"Carl has been telling me about a woman who works for him and has a broken heart. He told me about what was missing that he could see. What was missing for her was also what was missing for me. Seventeen months ago my wife got out of the truck. She said she hated living on the road, hated everything about it. She left. The truck has been empty until last night. You already know the road. You already know how to love a man on the road. If you choose me I will work hard to have us enjoy life for as long as we last."

"I need more room than what's in the sleeper."

"Right at the truck stop they have a storage box we can have mounted on the trailer."

Carl's voice came over the intercom, "We have your old box right here in the yard. Bring your rig over and I'll have the boys clean it up and mount it."

Melissa hit the intercom button and said, "Have you ever heard of a private conversation?"

"Sure. Soon as you get rid of Sam we can have one." He shut the intercom off after he started laughing.

"I need to call my Momma and tell her the news. Where will we be headed tomorrow?"

"I'll get the load from here on the truck today and we'll drop it off in St. Louis. From there we go to Green Bay, Debuque after th

She stood and we kissed. I noticed her bra was back on. She whispered, "Please take it off me again tonight."

By three I was back and the yard boys mounted the box on my trailer. Inside the box there were shelves, a hanging rod, some drawers and two lights. The boys had cleaned it up well. They even hooked up the electricity. By four the truck and I were ready for the road. I walked into the office and found Melissa with Mandy. As soon as I walked in she said, "Mandy, you've got it. Take good care of the company. This is Sam, my man. He's come to take me away from all this and on the road again."

After the suitable interval we walked out and got into our truck. Melissa walked to the passenger side and got in. When I climbed in I saw that the same boys who mounted the box had painted on the driver's door. It said: "Sam and Melissa Trucking". There was a pair of hearts painted next to the names. I smiled and drove to Melissa's place. An hour later she was loaded into the sleeper and the storage box and we had given the keys back to the landlord.

We headed north for St. Louis and drove until just about dark. Melissa went in the sleeper and made us a simple dinner. She fed it to me as I drove. A bite, a kiss, a drink, repeat as necessary. The jeans she wore as we left her old apartment were not the skin tight ones from the night before. This pair were loose and well worn.

We stopped for the night on a side road about half a mile off the interstate. I had it marked on a map. A nice level spot just off the highway. No neighbors, no fees, no hook ups.

As a team we set things for the night pretty quickly and as we settled in she asked, "Where do you keep the gun?"

I showed her and showed her where the extra ammo was. She said she had fired a weapon like it before. I figured we would stop somewhere and make sure she knew how to use it. We got undressed and into bed. I hadn't quite put my head on the pillow when there was a banging on the cab door.

"State police. Open up."

I got the gun. Not everyone who says they are police are. I peeked. The car in the mirror was police. The man standing outside was in the proper uniform. I pulled on jeans and Melissa got dressed.

When I opened the door he said, "Sorry to bother ya'll but we don't get many overnighters along here. Are you Ok or did your truck have problems?"

"We're fine. Nearing our driving limits and this looked like a nice quiet place to spend the night. Is it Ok?"

"Sure. I'm the only cop out here tonight. Anyone else comes knocking, keep your weapon in your hand."

"Gotcha. Thanks. Can I offer you a beverage?"

"A beverage?"

"Bottle of water, soda, maybe some juice?"

"Thanks, but no. If I drink then I hafta pee. I'll wait." I closed the door as he walked back to his car. I looked and Melissa had the weapon and had it pointed at where he had been standing. He was covered. Damn, I was impressed.