From One Married Man to Another

Would you like to read a rather funny but disastrous tale of a married truck driving team?

Well, I've come here to share one with you and I hope you'll enjoy it!

It's a true story and although the twosome looks back on it now and is able to laugh, when it happened neither one of them found it funny, at all.

One more thing - The names have been changed to protect the guilty and embarrassed!

The year was 1990 and Mark and Melody were heading eastbound from San Jose, California with a load that had to be delivered in Boston, Massachusetts within 3 days.

The 3 day deadline was no problem for a team because the truck would be driven round the clock until delivery and it was late Fall so they wouldn't have to worry too much about running into snow except in the mountains of California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. Still, they were undeterred and ready to run.

Everything was going smoothly until they'd reached Cheyenne, Wyoming where Melody suddenly became very ill. Too sick in fact to even be able to drive…now they were in trouble. The load had to be delivered on time, there could be no excuses, whatsoever.

Mark knew it would be impossible for him to drive the entire trip by himself without sleep and began to worry. Melody remained motionless in the bunk, unable to get out of bed. He stopped often for coffee and kept going, unsure of anything else he could do.

By the time he'd arrived in Toledo, Ohio he was exhausted and ready for a quick supper to go, so, he pulled back the heavy drape separating the cab of the big truck with the sleeper and asked Melody if she'd like a McDonald's hamburger.

Seeing her grab her mouth and cover it quickly, he realized asking her such a question had been a huge mistake and immediately apologized before exiting the cab to run inside the restaurant.

After arriving back inside the big truck, he again pulled back the heavy curtain to make sure his very sick wife was still in bed before pulling out of the truck-stop parking lot. Seeing a long leg, he dropped the curtain and headed for the highway.

He'd driven about 20 miles and eaten his supper when a message came across the satellite system.

He pulled the laptop to him to read the message as he continued to steer the massive truck along I-80.

“Mark, where is Melody?” Read the message and it had been signed by their dispatcher Andy. Now Mark was confused. What does he mean, where is Melody? She's in the bunk as sick as a dog, that's where she is! He thought.

But something inside of him nagged at him to check the sleeper berth. So, he lifted the curtain and shouted “Melody? … Honey?” But there was no answer. Now he pulled the curtain high and strained to see into the bunk but saw that the bed was empty!

“Oh no! I've lost her! Where is she?” He'd heard horror stories over the years of drivers leaving their co-drivers in rest areas and truck-stops but he'd never imagined that it would ever happen to him! And as sick as she was, too!

“Oh my God! She must've gotten out back at the truck-stop after I went to McDonald's!”

“But I could've sworn I saw her leg before I pulled out!”

He knew he was in deep trouble with Melody and how could he ever live this blooper down? He pulled over on the shoulder to answer Andy's message before turning around on the toll road to go back to the truck-stop.

“I looked into the sleeper before I left the truck-stop and I saw a leg, so, I assumed it was Melody's and pulled out!” Now he waited for Andy's response before pulling back out onto the big road.

Suddenly a beep indicated a response;

“Mark, from one married man to another, I suggest you find out who that leg belongs to before going back to pick up your wife!”

Mark couldn't help but laugh at their dispatcher's humorous remark and thanked him for informing him and said that he was on his way back to the truck-stop to pick her up.

“Okay, drive safely!” Was Andy's reply.

As Mark pulled up to the truck-stop's fuel islands, he pulled ahead of them and set the brakes before sprinting out of the truck and into the building in search of his wife.

As his eyes scanned the area, he spotted her sitting at a booth, bent over the table barely able to hold her head up. He shouted to her “Melody! Oh honey, I am so sorry! Are you alright?”

She managed a faint smile and said “yes, I'm okay…”

She explained that she'd felt very nauseous and came inside the building after he'd gone to McDonald's and thought that he'd notice she was gone. When she saw him pull away, she became scared because she didn't have any money on her, it was all still in the truck!

Another driver gave her change to call Andy and tell him what had just happened.

Mark continued to apologize all the way outside. Nearing a trash can, Melody leaned over it and became sick.

Mark couldn't possibly feel any lower than he did. How could this have happened?

Mark did get the load delivered a day late but after Andy learned of Melody's illness, he'd reset the appointment so that Mark could do so safely and well rested.

The twosome still laugh over the event and have added it to their collection of all time favorite memories of their years on the road in a big truck.