Story The Errand

FMJ

FMJ

Technical Senior
The Errand​
FMJ​

“Honey? Would you do me a favor?” she asked using those eyes that I simply cannot resist.
“Sure, honey. What do you need?” I asked desperately trying to stay coherent while gazing directly into her eyes.
“Well I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy,” she purred using the voice AND the eyes. That’s it; now I would move Heaven and earth to do whatever she wanted.
“No, I’m not doing anything important. What can I do for you, sweetheart?” I said innocently.
Well, I need to sew something and I don’t have any good sewing needles. Would you be a dear and run into town and pick up some for me, pretty pleease?” she purred.
What would you say? I said, “Yes dear, I’ll be glad to. Anything for you. I’ll be back in a little while. I’ll take the truck.” She shot me a look but I was already out the door with my coat, hat and keys.
The engine in the big rig cranked over a couple times, caught with a low smoky rattle and smoothed right out to that throaty growl that I loved. Her name is Delta V and she is the other love of my life. She’s a big beautiful diesel, double axle, sleeper tractor that’s all deep blue metal flake, chrome trim and lots of lights pulling a 48 foot aluminum box trailer. I shifted Delta V into low and rumbled out the drive and into the street. The tanks were full, temperature was good, pressure was high and all was right with the world.
 
ted

ted

Veteran Member
Is he heading for a fabric store on the other side of the country?...Thanks.
 
FMJ

FMJ

Technical Senior
Fourteen miles down the road with the custom stereo cranked up, I hit the on ramp of the interstate toward town and Delta V was running strong. When the song ended, I remembered that I was going to town to pick up…what? It was something for the Missus. It’ll come to me, I thought remembering those eyes when the next song started.

My trailer was still loaded full of unsecured debt I was hauling to the bank for a used car dealership down south and I was anxious to be rid of it. The bank was only a few miles out of my way and I could drop this shipment, get a signature and be on my way. Following the truck route made getting to the bank harder than I figured and when I got there, it was almost closing time. I ran in with my bill of lading and explained I had a delivery for the bank. The manager examined my bill of lading but could not accept the entire shipment because I was carrying more debt than the manifest stated. I was dangerously close to being overweight! While my trailer was unloaded, the manager kindly offered to extend me a free line of credit to eliminate the extra debt if I would agree to haul a large line of credit to one of the bank’s industrial customers. This seemed like a win-win bargain and I readily agreed. As I picked up my signed delivery contract, the bank manager cautioned me against hauling unsecured debt in the future because compound interest could cause the debt to grow exponentially during cartage. I thanked him and left grateful I had not waited another day.
I again had the nagging feeling there was still something I had forgotten to do though. It’ll come to me.
I followed the bank manager’s directions to the offices of a company that manufactured industrial drill bits. The office manager was relieved to receive the large line of credit from the bank so quickly because they were in a twist financially. As he signed my delivery contract, I asked him if there was any way I could help.

He said, “You know, actually there is something you could do if you were willing to take on another load.”
 
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ted

ted

Veteran Member
Yep, first love is the truck he will be back by the end of the year...Sounds like an old country song, thank you.
 
FMJ

FMJ

Technical Senior
I figured that if I was in for a penny, I was in for a pound so I agreed. He explained that their company guaranteed 100% testing of every drill bit before shipment and they were currently saddled with a huge inventory of surplus test holes. The holes couldn’t be reused because that’s a violation of the rules and would invalidate the test while opening up the company to possible legal action in the event of a drill bit failure.
As an over-the-road trucker, I was familiar with the cost of failure and could easily see his point. I said I would be happy to haul his excess hole inventory, but for the life of me, I didn’t know where to take ‘em or who would need ‘em.

“Oh, that’s the easy part!” he explained. “That new oil field up north is drilling a couple dozen new wells every day and they need a new hole for every well,” he continued. “They aren’t picky either; they’ll take ‘em all,” he confided.

Delta V’s big diesel growled out my favorite song as she pulled the heavy trailer on the northbound interstate towards the new oilfield. I had the stereo cranked up on a satellite feed for classic rock and all was right with the world. I still couldn’t quite shake that feeling that I had forgotten something important though. Oh well, I’ll remember eventually.

When I pulled into a truck stop for a cup of coffee, another trucker hailed me over to his table to talk. “What they got you hauling?” he asked with interest.

“Just a load of holes for the oil field”, I replied while adding cream and sugar to the cup of steaming coffee.

“Holes, huh? That’s a new one on me. You got room for any extra freight?” he asked.

“A bit,” I replied. “What’s the problem?” I asked a little concerned.

“Well, I’m hauling hay to the stockyards down south and I’m a little overweight. If I go through the scales like this, I’ll owe my soul to the weigh master,” he explained with a worried look. “Could you help me out? I’d owe you big time,” he said with a grin.

We finished our coffee and backed our trailers together to make it easier to move the overage of hay from his trailer into the space alongside the shipment of holes in mine. We both went through the scales in the chicken coop without a hitch and rolled our separate ways.
 
ted

ted

Veteran Member
Wow! Someone who's memory is almost as bad as mine...Hope his wife understands, I know, wishful thinking.
 
FMJ

FMJ

Technical Senior
At the oil field, the well boss was relieved to receive the hole shipment as they were running low and in danger of shut down without the supply that I brought. When the last of the holes came off the trailer, the well boss eyed the hay that was left behind.

“Where is that hay going?” he asked.

“Nowhere,” I replied. “It’s just an overage I’m hauling free for a friend. It doesn’t even appear on my manifest,” I explained.

The well boss said that was a shame because he was just talking to his cousin this morning that was in need of hay to cushion a load he needed to ship.

“You could drop it there and be rid of it if you wanted to,” he offered.

“Where is that?” I asked with interest.

“Down in Needles, Arizona,” he replied.

“Oh, OK. That’s not too far to empty the trailer and….wait, what? Where did you say he was?” I asked as that feeling of forgetting something important suddenly got a whole lot stronger.

“I said he was down in Needles, Arizona. Why?” he asked.

“Oh, no reason. I’ve just been having this feeling lately like I’ve forgotten something and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is,” I explained.

“Ha! Haven’t we all? Anyway, thanks again for the quick shipment. Good luck to you,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Delta V purred under the light load as we high tailed it down to see the well boss’ cousin who needed the hay. As we wheeled into the parking lot of the small manufacturing company, a man came out waving a new bill of lading followed by a lift truck carrying a heavy wooden box.
 
FMJ

FMJ

Technical Senior
“Thank goodness you’re here!” he cried. “My cousin called to say you were on the way and I just got word that my regular truck is broke down so your timing is perfect! Will you haul this shipment for me? Do you have the hay?” he asked in a rush.

Of course, I agreed.

I opened the back of the trailer so they could arrange the hay to cushion the box and securely strap it down to prevent any damage. As I signed the receipt, I noted with relief that the destination address on the bill of lading was in my own home town. I closed the trailer and headed back to the interstate to complete my contract.

The address was for a retail business in a shopping mall a few miles from home that sold material and sewing supplies. That feeling that I had forgotten something came back big time although I was unable to recall what it was for the life of me.

“Oh, well. It’ll come to me,” I said aloud as Delta V purred her RPM song as we rolled down the interstate for home.

I pulled around to the rear of the shopping mall and backed my trailer up to the loading dock as the manager rolled up the overhead door expectantly.

“I hope that’s my shipment of sewing needles! We are completely out!” she exclaimed.

When I opened the trailer, she helped me to remove the tie down straps from the heavy wooden box in the deep pile of hay. When she unfastened the latches and pulled open the lid, several paper wrapped packages of needles fell out of the box. She gathered them up, returned them to the box and shut the lid with a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much for this special shipment! We’ve had so many requests and this is exactly what we needed,” she said gratefully.

“I’m just glad I was able to be of help, Ma’am. Its pure chance that I was there at all,” I admitted.

“No matter. I really appreciate the effort. Let me sign your delivery receipt so you can be on your way,” she continued.
 
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FMJ

FMJ

Technical Senior
I closed the doors on the trailer and wheeled Delta V down the road for the short hop home. As I pulled into the drive and shut the big diesel down, SHE came out on the porch and waved hello with a big smile.

“Did you remember my sewing needles?” she yelled excitedly while jumping up and down which thoroughly scrambled any semi-coherent thoughts I still possessed.

My eyes went wide with that deer-in-the-headlights look then as I finally realized why I felt like I was forgetting something and the original reason for my errand.

Just maybe, I thought as I ran back to the trailer doors, unlatched one and hastily climbed inside.
I ran my hands desperately through the deep hay around the hollow where the heavy wooden box had sat painfully aware of the slim likelihood of finding a needle in a haystack when my fingertips touched a smooth paper wrapped package.

I triumphantly pulled the new package of 30 assorted sewing needles, sizes 11 through 16 and called out, “Got them right here, sweetheart!”
 
ted

ted

Veteran Member
Talk about blind or dumb luck! But, for once his mind worked, I probably would not have thought to look. Thank you.
 
Texican

Texican

Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
So the trucker found his needles in the hay and saved his tush from the wife....

Well done....

Texican....
An American Christian....
Live Free and Die Free....
 
Texican

Texican

Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
FMJ,

Just couldn't help myself and got pulled back into the story of the hauling, holes, hay and needles in the hay....

FMJ, you do know that you are one of those mental ones that twist poor souls minds one way and then the other for the pure fun of it and we just can't get enough....

Texican....
 
Griz3752

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Freebirde said:
He's already in trouble. He didn't find out size, style, and number of needles. Machine or hand, silk, cotton, wool, linen, or canvas? As the husband of a fabric hoarder, I know there are a lot of different kinds of needles.
Click to expand...
Yeah BUT he's running through the gears!! Can't you feel the torque as Delta V pulls off the line & gets up to speed?!!? And, as we all know, the only thing to compare with a big Diesel is BELT FED!!
 
Texican

Texican

Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
FMJ,

Just couldn't help myself and got pulled back into the story the third time of the hauling, holes, hay and needles in the hay....

FMJ, you do know that you are one of those mental ones that twist poor souls minds one way and then the other for the pure fun of it and we just can't get enough....

Texican....
 
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