Two Oh Oh!

Yep...welcome to the 200th installment of Life Of Times/On The Surface.


I have been racking my brain since my last entry on what I should write about. I totally missed the 100th entry. The 150th entry escaped me too. But I was paying attention and didn't want to miss this one.

I thought that maybe I should do a "Back Then" entry but decided against it. Not much of the past matters to me anymore. (Don't worry though, "Back Then" isn't over.) I went through all my drawings and paintings to see if they would be good for this post, but nothing caught my eye. Then I thought I could write about J and I, but I rarely do that here and it would seem out of place.

Then it came to me...last night before I fell asleep. I'm going to write about Starr, since she is the reason I started this blog in the first place. It seems fitting...

Several years ago, I parked my Freightliner car carrier in the center lane of Dixie Highway. I was delivering cars and the dealership had no unloading zone for us trucks. It was the worst place in the world to be unloading cars. Only inches separated me from the speeding traffic on either side of my truck. But JM was one of my best customers and when he called, I never failed to show.

I pulled a 7 car Miller behind my truck and I was busy unloading the bottom rack, working the controls to the hydraulics to get the top rack high enough so I could unload. I popped the ratchet and was about to lean over to unhook the chain when pain lanced through my back like someone had just snapped an over-large rubber band across my back. It took my breath away and I turned my head in time to see a yellow SUV speeding off. I knew what happened. The driver skimmed me with his mirror.


I shook my head and stepped onto the bottom rack as more speeding cars passed so I could catch my breath. My back was stinging so bad. Finally feeling normal, I stepped back out to the road and unhooked the last of the chains. I jumped in the car and started to back off when a car pulled up behind me with its flashers on.



I sat in the car and waited, hoping they would realize that I was unloading and to move their car. A minute later, this drop dead gorgeous woman stepped out of the BMW with a cell phone to her ear. Curious, I jumped out the car I was in and met her at the back of the truck. She hung up the phone and she looked at me like she was furious and about to kick my ass. No fear though, I stepped up to her.



"Can I help you?" I asked. She looked like the 'take no shit' type so I acted accordingly. Held my head up high and stood with purpose.


All that anger in her face vanished. "Are you okay? I saw that guy hit you. I got his tag number and tried to get him to stop at the next light."


She said it in one long breath and I laughed, carefully. She did look like she was pretty mean, even under her apparent concern for my well-being.



"I'm fine. It only stung for about a minute."

"You got a cell? We should call the cops. I'm your witness."

"Nah, really. I'm fine. Besides, if I call the cops, they'll give me a ticket for unloading here."


Who knew that that would be the beginning of our friendship. We chatted for about thirty minutes, exchanged numbers, and made plans to hang out. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we have been best friends ever since.

To Starr...and thank you for the push you gave me to start this thing. LYMY!