Old751 - A New Beginning

The only graphic print shop I could find didn't open till 9. I wanted to be on the road by then, but I also wanted my logo on Old751 the first time I took her to Smithville. I crudely sketched out the look I thought I wanted. I held it out at arm's length, I could see what I wanted but this wasn't quite it. Maybe Stan would be able to read my mind and design it exactly right.

I had texted Julie when I woke up, she was swamped with customers, so I didn't keep her long. She told me that Suzy was coming in at 1 and would work till close if she needed her to. I wanted so badly to tell her that she should just go ahead and plan on that. I did tell that another quick stop had come up before I could head her way, but I hoped to be there by 1 at the very latest.

The print shop was open when I got there a few minutes early. Small enough shop that the clerk was also the graphic designer, the print operator, and owner. I showed him my poor excuse of a sketch and tried to explain what I was looking for. He seemed to be understanding the look I was wanting. He told me that he could work up a few designs and send them to me later today if I would like him to, and I told him that would be great because I would be able to show them to a friend and get her opinion as well.

I asked if he made bumper stickers and he said that he did. I took a piece of paper and wrote out in block letters what I wanted it to say. He looked at it and told me that he remembered stopping there when he was a kid and asked if it was still there. I told him that it was and having a resurgence of late. He said that he would send proofs of the bumper sticker when he sent the other graphics.

That all settled, I was finally on my way to see if I had made a good decision or just ruined the old solid life I had settled for. About an hour into the trip, my phone chirped with an unknown number. I decided to answer it if for no other reason than to mess with a telemarketer. Instead of the expected robocall, it was a jolly sounding voice that boom; Hey, I was told to call this number. This is the Lone Wrangler.

I said, hey back. I told him who I was, and that the owner of a certain Café in Smithville really wanted to meet him. He laughed and asked why, do they want me dead or something. I asked if he had been back by the Café lately and he said that he hadn't. He had taken a vacation after he finished that run and then got sent out east. He had just rolled back into Thomson late last night and got the message.

I told him that between my call out on the CB and his posting rave reviews on all those sites, The Lost Café and Truck Stop was in the middle of a business boom that most likely saved them both. I didn't go into a lot of details but asked when he thought that he might be able to make a stop in at the Café. He said that he had things to do today but he would love to be there when they opened tomorrow. I told him that would be great, I hoped to be there too, and I wanted to talk to him about working for Thomsons.

I asked what he would be driving, he said would be in his truck, he was taking it in for servicing, he would be in a blue cabover. Shaking my head and telling him that I would see him in the morning, hung up. Julie and Jack would be thrilled that I had found him.

Traffic was light, my heart was fluttering, and my foot was heavy. I pulled into the parking lot at 12:15. The lot wasn't full but was plenty crowded. I parked off to the side, towards Julie's house, so I would be out of the way should they get busy. I thought about just going ahead and parking at her house but didn't want to be presumptuous.

I walked in without being noticed and took my stool at the counter. I didn't see Julie right away and a new waitress, Aimee, ask what I would like to drink. I asked for coffee. The rest of the waitresses were bustling around waiting table, refilling drinks, and making small talk with the customers. The place looked and sounded homey, lots of laughter and smiles. I would be more than happy to spend a lot of time on this stool just watching.

When Aimee came back with my coffee I asked where the manager was. She pointed to the back and said that she was talking to the truck stop guy. I asked if today was her first day, she looked at me funny and said second, like that made a huge difference. I just said coffee is all for now and she went on taking care of her other customers. Aimee had a lot to learn but she was young and cute so if she could flirt with a few truck drivers she would do okay. Julie might want to keep her away from the family tables for a bit though. Aimee had some certain attributes that might attract too much attention of husbands and the ire of wives.

I sipped coffee for 20 minutes or so with Aimee making sure I never had less than half a cup. I thanked her each time and noticed that she was smiling more than when I sat down. I heard Suzy come in behind me. She gave me a little hug as she went by and asked how long I had been there. I told her about 20 minutes or so and that Aimee had told me that the boss lady was in the back with the truck stop guy.

Suzy started to say something to Aimee, but I shook my head at her. If Julie and Jack had been back there talking for this long, it's important, and she didn't know. She nodded but still asked Aimee over to the cash register, showing her the 8 x 10 picture hanging behind it. Aimee looked at it, then me, then back at the picture.

She told her to remember that guy and when I walked in, Julie needed to know, and I never paid. I told Aimee not to worry about it, I'm not that type of guy and gave her a smile. Suzy told me to go back to the office, I put a five on the counter for Aimee and thanked her for the coffee and walked into the back.

Jack and Julie were just coming out of the little office. Julie was telling him that she had to get out front because I would be there any minute. I said in a loud voice, I heard you were back here with the truck stop guy and here I caught you red-handed. They both stopped with a start, the kitchen staff all stopped and looked. Manny started a big belly laugh that spread through the entire kitchen.

Julie came and gave me a big hug and asked how long I had been there, and I told her. She frowned at Jack; I told you I didn't have time for that. I told her that it was fine, Aimee had kept my coffee cup full, and Suzy was out front playing boss. Jack apologized for keeping her so long and then told her that they would finish talking about it later. Julie waved him off and said you know we will and returned to my waiting arms.

She apologized that she wasn't anywhere near ready to go, and it was going to take her a bit. I told her no worries, I had until tomorrow afternoon before I needed to be anywhere. We went back out front, and I took my place at my stool. Aimee held up the coffee pot and I shook my head, just water please.

Julie buzzed around making sure everyone was taken care of and that things were going okay. I had to smile, she was bright and cheery when her dream was slowly dying, now that it was going so well, she had a new energy about her. This place wasn't going to die through any fault of hers.

I felt her grab me from behind and whisper in my ear that lunch was waiting at her house, and she was starving. The way she said the word starving sounded like it had several meanings behind it. She chucked her apron into the tub under the counter and told me that she was going to grab something from the office, and we were out of there.

She returned with a handful of notebooks, grabbed my arm and headed us to the door. We walked toward her house, and I asked if I should move my truck. She just looked at me and asked why. I said okay then let me grab my bag which I did as we walked by then put my arm around her and led her home.

My nose was greeted by a delicious aroma as we walked in the door but as soon as the door was shut, it was my arms and mouth that was filled. God, she said. I've been wanting to do that since I saw you in the kitchen. I told her that it was a good thing she could control herself around her kisses and tongue darting in my mouth. We were starting to get carried away when a timer on the stove broke us apart. Before I let her out of my arms, I asked which one of us should say saved by the bell. With a light slap on the chest, she said you.

She opened the crock pot on the counter and the smell was wonderful. I was about to ask if there was anything I could help with, but she pointed to the chair and ordered me to sit. I obediently did just that.

She served me a big bowl of beef stew, grabbed a couple of biscuits from a tray freshly pulled from the oven, put them on a plate and set them in front of me and grabbed a beer from the fridge. She sat beside me and looked at me, I looked back at her. Well, she said. I said this is not the Café, I'll wait for you to join me. She looked like she had forgotten how to eat with someone. She went and got herself a bowl of stew, and biscuits, and joined me. We took the first bite together.

Oh, My God we both said in unison. It was the best stew I had ever tasted. I asked why she wasn't serving this at the Café. She said that she had found a bunch of old menus and grandma's recipe books, and this was one of the weekly features they used to have. She had decided to try this one out on me. I asked what day it was going to be because I wanted to be there for it every week.

We ate and talked about her ideas with the Café, if she thought it would last, and if she was happy with her decisions with the Café. We finished eating, I cleared the table, rinsed the dishes but left them in the sink and sat back down.

She looked at me very seriously and said, okay mister, first, do you want to talk about the accident the other night. I paused, partly because I had let the accident slip from my mind with all the other things I had been doing. I told her that I would at some point but not right now. Then she said then what is going on with you and all your secrecy lately. I gave her a big smile and started telling her my story.

I started with how seeing her that first night I had stopped in, had affected me and how I decided that it was the right time to follow my heart. When I came and spent the afternoon with her and the conversation was so easy, even those hard things we talked about, I knew that we had something special starting. When we were able to respect each other enough not to sleep together that night it made me want her even more but only when the time was right.

I told her that I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could, and my job was going to make that hard. I had been approached by the place where I delivered my loads to go to work for their shipper who is located in Thomson. At my last run I talked with them in detail, and they sold me on the idea and arranged for me to go talk with the Thomson brothers.

I met with them that day, the only problem was that they wanted to contract with owner/operators, which I wasn't, but it was a solvable problem. I talked with them long enough that I was going to miss getting to see you. Then of course the accident, which was a nightmare to begin with, was only made worse by the fact I was so close to you.

When I got back, I talked to Steve, my boss, about what he would want to sell me Old751 and an old trailer for. He gave me a price that I could work with. I kept watching her face for a reaction but all I was getting was the same blank stare I gave her when she was telling me her secret. I told her that she was free to ask questions if she wanted but she said that she would wait so I continued.

I had gone home, and I had called her. Talking with her again helped set my resolve to try to make this happen. I showered and ate then went to the bank. It took less than an hour for me to go into debt. I walked across the street and talked to a lawyer and in another hour, I was a business owner. I talked with a realtor about selling my house.

The next morning, I owned Old751 and a trailer and took a crash course in diesel mechanics from the best teacher you could want. Now if I can, I need to ask you a few things. She nodded that I could but seemed to be holding back something.

I took a deep breath, took her hands in mine and looked her in her eyes. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I love the way I feel when I am with you. I have never felt this way before. I want to take the job with Thomson Trucking, it might be some long hauls, but most will be short. I want to sell my house and find someplace here or near here. I want to let Old751 continue to work her magic. I want to help you keep your dream alive and make that Café into its best self.

She put her hand to my mouth to stop me from talking.

I have been so busy running a now booming Café that I don't think of anything but that when I am there, but when I am not there, all I can think about is you. I too, have never felt this way before and I really like it. I haven't been able to stop trying to figure out how we could make this work with the distance thing, but my knight with the powder blue charger was taking care of the whole thing.

Why don't you move in with me, she asked. I told her that I didn't want things to go that fast. We had really only just met when you think about it. Yes, there is a definite connection between us, but I am afraid that if we rushed into a relationship like that it would be too fast. I am a little old fashioned that way but for right now I think separate places would be best. I want to romance and seduce you and let love grow from what we are feeling now.

Now, I have a big question for you, I said. Would you be open to me moving closer and changing our relationship status to seriously dating?

She jumped into my lap and covered me in kisses. Yes, yes, yes, she answered. I felt like I could finally breathe. Our kissing became more passionate and urgent. Our hands moved more insistently in their caressing. She rose from my lap, reached over to the counter, and made sure her old crock pot was unplugged, and pulled me toward her bedroom.

Sometime later as we laid in bed in the afterglow of slow, methodical, tentative, and passionate lovemaking. We spent the time learning about each other's bodies, what each liked or didn't. We talked as we explored with hands, and mouths. Julie had taken great care of her surgery scars, and they were barely visible. They probably wouldn't have been if I wasn't looking for them. I wanted her to know that I liked the reason they were there and the results of them.

We touched and caressed each other as we talked. She finally told me that she had been thinking the same as me about making a complete life change and coming to me but wasn't brave enough to even think about doing it. She felt like she would be letting too many people down. She asked about the job with Thomsons and what it would entail. I told her about the runs and how they worked, how much time off I could get after each. I told her that I had to figure out a business name quickly so the paperwork could get filed. She asked what I had come up with and I told her 751 Trucking, and I even had a logo in the works, that was my extra stop this morning. She asked if she could see it. I told her that I hoped so, my phone had been buzzing with texts while we were otherwise occupied.

I rolled over and found my pants on the floor and pulled my phone out of my pocket. The texts were from the print shop. I rolled back over and let Julie snuggle in next to me and opened the first text. It was pretty much the same as what I had given them as an idea, she said she liked it, but it needed more. The next text was just a different font, better but still not it. Number 3 was much more elaborate, it looked like a branding iron. 751 was on the iron and Trucking was in old western font beside it. This one must have been his favorite because he also included pictures of how it would look on the door of Old751 and across the side of the trailer. That one was the one, but we must look at the next one. I went to the next text. It wasn't my logo; it was the bumper sticker. Black with white block letters: FOLLOW ME TO THE LOST CAFÉ & TRUCK STOP - SMITHVILLE.

Julie sat up. What's that she asked. I told her that, if she liked them, I would have 1000 of them to her the next time I was back. She took my phone and enlarged the picture a bit. I love it. What will it cost me, she asked. I pulled her back over to me and told her to consider them already paid for. Oh, she said, you took it out in trade before I knew what I was paying for.

I laughed, what you just may have paid for in trade sure covers a lot more than a few bumper stickers.

The late afternoon sun was streaming into the house. Julie asked if the stew was okay again for supper. I told her that stew would be great. She hopped out of bed saying she would be right back. I watched her plump hind end bounce into the kitchen, I'm guessing to turn the crock pot back on, then past the door again into the bathroom. I met her in the hall as she emerged and held her naked body against mine before taking a turn in the bathroom.

I met her back in bed. Sex time was over for the moment, and it was time to talk more. I wanted to make sure that this was something she wanted as much as I did. We discussed a lot of where we wanted to be in 1 year, 5years, 10 years. She asked me about the possibility of marriage in the future. I told her that I wasn't opposed to it, but I didn't want to rush into anything. I told her that I didn't have a great desire to have kids but at some point, if we might decide to foster or adopt, I was open to it. She said pretty much the same thing, there wasn't a biological clock ticking but she could also see that same scenario.

I told her that in the morning I was going to call Thomsons and tell them to send me a contract to review and I was going to take the job. When I get home, I would talk with the realtor and put my house on the market, so I would need to find something to rent here soon until I could find a place to buy.

Julie told me that she had been holding a bit of a secret too. Jack and Jen had put an offer in on a newer house out on the edge of town and they were going to put their house, mom and dad's house on the market. I have been thinking about you renting it or maybe buying it since you told me that you wanted to move up here. If we are as compatible in time, as we are now and decide to get married, it is bigger and would be more comfortable for us to live in. Not as handy to the Café but it's only a couple blocks away.

I told her that I would talk with Jack in the morning about renting it, and that I also had been keeping something back from her. I told her that I had talked with The Lone Wrangler on my way up this morning and he was going to be here in the morning. I got a hug for that secret, then I added that I was going to be working at the same place as him and that he drove a blue cabover just like Old751.

I don't think I had ever sat naked in a bed with a woman for that long talking, and I told her so. She reached out and took ahold of that certain part of me and said that just because we hadn't been doing it, that doesn't mean that she hadn't been thinking about it. With that, another longer slower and even more intimate round of lovemaking took place. I knew that everyday wasn't going to be like this but one every once and a while and I would be one very happy man.

This time, she wore me out with our lovemaking. I had let her be in full control this time. I loved that she was willing to tell me what she wanted me to do and how she wanted it done. When she would do things to me, she asked how I liked it. We both finished completely satisfied and happy. We had fallen asleep spooning. I woke as she tried to slip herself out from under my arm. She told me that I could sleep a little longer if I wanted to but watching her slip her naked body into that worn robe had me awake again. Besides, I wanted to spend time with her. Not just in bed and definitely not sleeping.