He was pleasantly tired after a good day of driving. The truck driver was settled in his bunk, surrounded by just about everything he owned, his hands under his head, taking in the sounds of the road outside. He enjoyed listening to the traffic. It was like music; each vehicle with it own, individual pitch, harmonizing with others to produce an orchestral symphony of sound. Short bursts of one or another would stand out, then fade into the overall concert. Tonight the few vehicles played solo and he imagined each instrument and the maestro behind the music.
The low, steady rumble of the percussion was a gravel truck, it’s many tires bearing their heavy load, driven by a weary father eager to get home to a hot shower and catch the end of the game on the tube, while his son fell asleep in his lap. A high-pitched string section, heard as suddenly as it was gone, was an expensive sports car, with a flashy young business man, impatient to get to his waiting friends for cocktails. Here came the woodwinds; a practical family sedan, it’s driver a middle-aged woman clinging to the wheel, hands at two and ten o’clock, peering over the hood, nervous until she was in her home, out of that vehicle. The brass section was played by a bus, the driver high on caffeine, the rows of seats filled with dozing passengers caught in that netherworld between departure point and destination.
The pleasant bass of the motorcycle announced itself long before it arrived. The trucker relaxed a little more, savouring the slow crescendo. He pictured the lone rider, with his legs resting easy out front of him, the evening wind on his face, warm in the embrace of his leather jacket and a comfortable pair of faded blue jeans that rode up on his worn boots.
Smiling, the trucker’s eyes closed, the bike now fading in the distance. Sleep conducted a hushed finale.
Trucker's Concerto
The came to me one night as I waited for the traffic light to release me from the off-ramp. I was struck by the myriad of unique sounds of the traffic racing past on the highway.
jcmontgomery, 4 months ago
Wow.
This is beautiful. Well done!!
joolie1, 4 months ago
I’m proud to say this piece was selected to be published in the May issue of the ezine www.longstoryshort.us – I’m very excited. May 7th is the issue date.
joolie1, 4 months ago
This will also appear in the April edition of Chicago Trucking News, in the From Our Readers section. Yay!
Miri, 2 months ago
this is great, so fantastically described, never will i be bored stuck in traffic again!