So I decided to create a distraction—one that I probably needed my head examined for. I’d noticed that Charlotte had recently added Learn How to Drive an 18-Wheeler to her Fuck-It List on the server. Only Charlotte.
I’d decided that the ultimate distraction on a Friday afternoon was to somehow make that happen, managing to rent an actual 18-wheeler from a distribution company. They parked it for me in an empty lot in Hoboken.
We didn’t have much daylight left as we pulled in. Charlotte had no idea why we were there.
“I thought you said we were going to see a new property. Why are we here in this empty lot?”
Turning off the car, I said, “You’ve really worked hard for the company these past couple of months. As complicated as our personal relationship is, I’m also your boss. I feel like I don’t really tell you enough—as your boss—how appreciated you are.”
“You had to take me to a desolate parking lot in Hoboken to do that? If we’re in Jersey, a diner would have been better.”
“Look over there.”
Charlotte’s eyes landed on the big rig. “It’s a truck.”
“Not just any truck. An 18-wheeler.”
She finally saw what I was getting at. “You’ve been spying on me.”
“Did you not recently add driving one of those bad boys to your Fuck-It List?”
Realization set in and her face lit up. “Are you serious? I’m here to drive one?”
“Well, we can’t take it on the road. Especially because you don’t even have a car driver’s license. I don’t think either one of us is ready to die tonight. But you can have your fun on this lot.” Noticing who I assumed was the instructor I’d hired arriving, I nudged my head for her to follow me out of the car. “Come on.”
Charlotte walked alongside me over to the vehicle, which had the words JB LEMMON DISTRIBUTION painted on the side. A scruffy man with a long, white beard got out of an older Ford Taurus.
“Good afternoon, folks.” He looked Charlotte up and down. “You must be Charlotte.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m Ed. Ready to drive?”
She looked at me and smiled, then bounced back on the heels of her feet. “I am!”
Charlotte took the driver’s seat while the instructor, whose name was Ed, sat on the passenger’s side. I crouched down behind them in what looked like the driver’s sleeper cabin.
“The very first thing you need to do is check your fluids.”
“Oh, I’m okay. I drank a lot of water today.”
He laughed. “Fluids are at the front of the truck, darlin’. I’ll show you.”
I whispered in her ear, “‘Darlin’.’ Should I say it like that from now on?”
Charlotte quickly followed him outside before they returned.
“Now, you need to adjust your seat with these switches here. You’re gonna need to come way up to have the best view over the hood.”
He was definitely taking full advantage of the situation as he leaned into her from the passenger side. This whole experience was pissing me off.
“Now, you can start your diesel, but before you do, you’re gonna push in your clutch and make sure you’re in second gear.”
Charlotte started the engine. The roaring diesel sound resonated throughout the space, and the fumes infiltrated the air.
“Now, pretend you’re looking out to see if other vehicles are coming. If it’s clear, you’re gonna slowly let out your clutch.”
Charlotte continued to carefully follow his instructions.
“Now give it some gas. Bring the RPMs up to about 1200. Then clutch out, clutch in.”
She was asking questions as if she was seriously planning to drive one of these someday. My eyes just kept fixating on his hands over hers as they switched gears. Pebbles of sweat were forming on my forehead as the big rig started to move. I was a lost cause.
“Woo-hoo!” Charlotte screamed as she made her first turn around the lot.
After a half-hour drive, she put the truck in “Park.”
Ed took off, leaving Charlotte and me alone in the big rig.
“That was seriously amazing, Reed.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
What had started as a stalling mechanism had turned into an experience I was happy to share with her. Charlotte’s joy was always contagious. It also made me feel good to help her knock another item off her list.
It was quiet inside the truck. The only noise was faint traffic from the highway in the distance.
Charlotte decided to climb in the back, where I was sitting, and lie down on the bed that was located just behind the driver’s seat in the cab. I swiftly moved up front to the passenger’s seat.
She kicked her feet up. “So this is how truckers live, huh? I think that would be kind of a cool job, traveling the country, stopping and sleeping in different places.”
“Aside from the risk of falling asleep and killing oneself . . . I suppose it could be . . . fun,” I said sarcastically.