We were riding north on Interstate 95 in North Carolina.
The sound of the big diesel engine vibrated through my head as I
watched the white dashed lines slip by on the dark road ahead. I
had been riding as a passenger in this semi truck for only a few
days at that time and it was an exciting new adventure for me.
It was so different from what I had imagined. Riding high above
the road, I looked down into the cars that we passed. It gave me
a whole new perspective on everything. I saw people doing all
kinds of crazy things while they were driving. People reading
newspapers or writing notes, and talking on cell phones, women
putting on makeup, businessmen juggling coffee and biscuits.
There were people changing clothes or flossing their teeth
(steering with their knees) and even having sex while driving in
“Break one nine!” The voice on the CB radio broke into the
cab of the truck. Don grabbed the microphone that dangled from a
bungy cord attached overhead. ”Come on break!” he said.
“Northbound,” the driver came back, “You got an alligator on the
zipper at the 129 yard stick.” Don grabbed the mike again and
said: “Preeshaydit southbound. You’re looking good back to the
line.” Now, I was raised in Florida and it wasn’t too uncommon
to hear about alligators roaming around in neighborhoods or on
highways but this was North Carolina in the middle of winter!
“Did he say there was an alligator on a zipper up here?” I asked,
