Tulsa Time
Somewhere along the way we ran straight into Tulsa Time….
3 things you need to know about trucker speed. First, it’s not how fast his rig is rollin. B, it’s legal (OTC) caffeine anhydrous and proprietary blend. And number three. Don’t even judge.
At 46 (almost 47) I have fewer “adventures” as I call them. Feets of wonder and unbridaled shenanigans. I headed up to visit my friend Neal in Ohio. I didn’t know he needed saving from a 5 ft nothing smoking gun. So it came to pass that I would drive Neal and his truck back to good ole Texas where people love him unconditionally and wholeheartedly. It was supposed to take 17 hours, but it probably took us an hour and a half extra because on our last leg through Oklahoma we missed a couple of turns and ended up taking the back roads like some run away convicts or modern day ne'er do wells. We ended up livin on Tulsa time.
I felt my first deflation of will while still in Illinois. So I grabbed a pack of mini thins. 6 to a pack. I tore three caplets to take the sublingual way and popped the other three looking forward to their kick as well. Know this: 3 is plenty. 6 is too many.
As we pulled into Missouri, I felt the full force of the stimulants. I was wide awake, but I was shaky with cold sweats...hot sweats, ghost sweats, almost seat wet, nausea in a shit box. It was not pleasant. I thought at one point that I had contracted Rona. Nose runny and cold chills. So for about 200 miles, I thought I was dying. I was making peace with my maker in my heart. Neal sat unaware in the passenger seat. I thought it best not to concern him.
Well, once we hit Oklahoma the frenzy in my body and mind subsided long enough to convince me that I would probably survive. It turned into a second wind fueled by Jamie Johnson and his cover of Tulsa Time for the 2016 Farm Aid. We were driving straight through Tulsa when I looked over and confessed, “Neal, I have that song Tulsa Time going in my head, but all I remember is the first line of the chorus.” He laughed and admitted that he had it in his head too but couldn’t remember the first verse. So I YouTubed it and we got to rocking. This cover has an amazing 3 minute drum/percussion solo that blows my mind. So we refreshed our memory.
I was so into it that I never noticed my turn for OKC. We were rockin too hard for absent minded old folk. That set up a chain of events that was nerve wracking, nail biting, and suspense filled. Neither of us see well, day or night. Of the two I am the only one able to drive our load. We missed turns, made pee stops, and talked about the big things most people keep hush hush about. We told stories, jokes, and laughed. We relived glory days and laughed at how funny the jaunt would be in hindsight, though not in the moment. We finally made it to our destination by 9pm. Package successfully conveyed and delivered. It will be a road trip for the ages, parts anyway. The memories we make are the currency of a life well lived. Be safe, be kind, and be well, my friends. Kev loves ya. Happy Tuesday.
