The Driver's Life for Me

Lots of folks think a driver's life is Over the Road (OTR), and certainly many an OTR driver is out there tonight, inspiring those luddite folk-song writers I love in the way that I love all lost causes. My current favorite trucker song being Bobby Braddock's "Gear Bustin' Sort of a Feller" (ya gotta hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-RKyhJa-E )

But there's another driver, the local guy, who usually starts his-her day at 7am or so. or 11pm. Or some odd-ass hour that attempts to minimize rush hour hassles with those annoying little passenger vehicles -- road-remoras like Escalades and Hummers and Suburbans. Schools of Priuses, flowing and weaving like sardines. So cute. But annoying in their huge, shimmery, unpredictable and chaotic numbers.

These days, I have the 9:15am shift, ending at 6pm. The Sweet Babboo has an 8pm shift, ending around 7am. Plus a 1.5 hour commute each way. You don't have to say it. He's a masochist, we know. A masochist with an OCD-like obsession with providing for his family (c'est moi et notre chiens) and being a good man.

With differing days off, we have 1/2 days together and a few days when we share only our commutes, mine home and his to work, his home and mine to work. Thank God for cell phones. ... and those 1/2 days after a few days' absence where we cram in as much loving and longing and sharing and reconnecting as two middle-agers can. (Hint to 20-somethings, it's a LOT, no viagra needed.)

... "If you bought it, I brought it." Not only is this a lovely bit of alliteration, it's true, without exaggeration. The bringing and bringing and bringing, though, promotes some crazy lifestyles. I'm happy enough with mine right now ~ hell, I'm happier these past 4 years with my husband than I've been my entire life ~ still, I look forward to a time when we have the same hours and same days off.

Not the oddly romantic, quirky, valiant, insane, inspiring life of the OTR guy, but I'll take it.