French la Vie

Lynn and I knew the moment we tried to lift some of the ten ton pieces that we needed help loading the truck and trailer. Lynn called Steven a professional packer, and her son Josh… they puzzled piece the antiques into the trailer to perfection. Everything fit. Later Steven offered to drive the low riding truck and trailer to Atlanta…Lynn ironed out the details with him, and the next thing I knew we were following Steven to Atlanta in his car.

As we followed him it was evident that he was one fast, swaying driver! To say the least Lynn was a nervous wreck and I under pressure started eating the snacks we had for the trip ahead all in one bite. As we followed him he put the pedal to the metal, ninety-five miles per hour…. something was not right.

Eureka! I knew! He was falling asleep at the wheel! We quickly and cautiously pulled up alongside of him. Sure enough his eyes were closed as he raced and weaved down the highway! We honked the horn, managing to wake him, we pulled over and had something to eat, drink and talk. Steven is a natural story teller, he has many… I asked him if I could write a part of his story for my blog. He agreed, woke right up and had us awestruck from the get go.

A Bit About My Life,  by Steven:

"There were twenty-two of us, seventeen brothers and five sisters,
my mother had two out of wedlock and my daddy had three, all the rest of us
came from the same momma.

My daddy was a farmer and we raised everything
you could raise. We had a big house with two back to back fireplaces. My brother he slept in a little
room in the back, didn’t have no heat back there. So he wrapped himself up in a
blanket to warm up by the fire, but he was sitting to close and that ole
blanket caught up on fire…" Steven seems to be back at the moment as he grins, slaps his knee
and continues though he picks up the story a few lines later. "…you know back
then how they use to cover every wall with wallpaper and poof the fire caught
it."

 

"My Momma done thought that someone had grabbed
my little sister from her crib…I went in twice to try to get her and when I
finally got her. It looked like someone had peeled  the skin off my hands," Steven lifts up his hands looks
at them shakes his head, recalling the pain, or realizing the scars are no
longer there. "I’m 12 years older than her and she turned 51 last
Saturday."

"My other brother use to play in the band with
me, he played lead guitar until his girlfriend shot him four times, shot his
bowels out.." (as we were having lunch at a fast food joint off the main
highway, the people around stopped
eating, stared at us…they sat silent leaning in waiting for Steven’s story…) "He beat her
coming and going, came home that day and while she was in the shower he turned
off the cold water…she didn’t take kindly to it- She got out of the shower, went
to the bedroom and pulled his gun from underneath his pillow. Even shooting him four times… nevertheless, he came after her chased her
to the fence… then he drove himself to the hospital." Our band continues without him, we play beach music."

 

Lynn shook her head, and after awhile asked about the subject of his driving, "You were all over the road, I had a
hard time following you at 85, you must have been doing 90 while you were
sleeping!" 

"Yeah I use to drive these ten hour
drives and had to go back out again cause there was these over due shipments,
it happened all the time. On September 15 that was the day, I didn’t want to go
out again being that it was my birthday, but my wife said, 'get on out.' I drove
up Highway 95 to 26, three miles into 26 I fell asleep putting that brand new Peterbilt upside down in the lagoon! I was
upside down holding on to the steering wheel so tight it ripped the muscles in
both my arms. Fell asleep I did."

I looked at Lynn, like 'you thought I was a sleepy chick driver,' I kicked her leg under the
table, and said "Drove the Peterbilt
into the Lagoon he did."

 "Steven!!" We both exclaimed.
He laughed and we followed his lead.

"Stories are often better years
later." He said….

I could listen to him all day long, he is a master storyteller, I dare say it beats my brother Mark..and for those of you who know my brother Mark you know that is a high bar to match let alone pass.

 "I fell asleep," he said, "They pulled me
out of the truck and they told me to stay down. I said, "Am I dead or
alive? You’re alive they said. Alive? If I am not dead I am
standing up, only dead people lie down!" He laughed, "The man
upstairs he was looking after me."

__________________________

Thank you Steven for letting me re-tell your
story, I will never forget you and the Peterbilt you drove into the Lagoon, hopefully it will keep me awake at the wheel when I'm driving.

See you next year!