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The wee hours were advancing quickly as Nora drove along the highway toward Atlanta. The radio was silent with only the occasional driver announcing an empty spot at the upcoming rest stop. Her co-driver Jimmy was still soundly sleeping in the berth of the Kenworth. She let out a slow sigh as she grabbed the microphone saying that she had just passed the sign announcing the rest area and intended on getting that spot. Sleep was getting closer by the second, and she was in desperate need of the facilities. No one responded in adversity and she was relieved by the silence of the radio.
When she finally pulled in she found the spot to be one of those difficult ones, but at least it was close to the ladies room and that was all she cared about. After carefully manuvering the truck into the spot she put on the brake and looked back. She turned the truck off and took out the keys and opened the door, leaving Jimmy snoring loudly. She noticed the cars around and hoped the people sleeping wouldn't be wakened by her intrusive noise. She knew the importance of rest when one was on a long haul.
On her short walk she quietly approached between two cars. The one on the left had a couple of kids and their parents sleeping soundly, but the nicer car on the right was vacant. The lady had obviously been suffering from the same malady she was, as the purse was still sitting on the passenger side seat, indicating she had probably been in a hurry. It baffled Nora why the rest stops were so far apart on a lonely highway. She hadn't seen one nor a station open for last couple of hours.
When she got inside she was surprised to see the place completely empty. She hurriedly entered the first stall but was completely taken aback by what she found. There was a pair of ladies glasses on top of the tissue holder and another pair on the floor. She quickly went about her business and picked up both pair. Upon examination she found that the lenses were rather thick, indicating that the woman they belonged to had to be rather close to blindness. They also smelled of a vaguely familiar smell of very expensive cologne, and had strands of long hair close to brownish/blonde tangled in the screw part that held the ear stems to the lenses. She walked out of the stall and looked under the rest, but didn't notice anything amiss. She picked up the glasses after washing her face and hands and headed back out the door. It was close to 2:30 a.m. and decided to look around and see if the woman was sitting at one of the picnic tables. The car was an expensive model, similar to a New Yorker, and was fairly new. There didn't seem to be a dent on it anywhere. When she didn't find the lady she went on back to the truck and crawled in. Closing the door, she reached over and locked it, then grabbed her log book. When she turned on the drivers light to log the mileage, she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye. Looking out her drivers window she was startled by the young man who was standing beside her truck glaring up at her. She swallowed hard and called Jimmy's name. The young man was of another race, but in the darkness she wasn't sure if he was Oriental or Hispanic. Jimmy crawled up front and peered out the passenger window. As she explained about the glasses and the young man, he spotted him on the other side of the drive pulling on the locks of a trailer, then walking around the side of it. The next time they saw him, he was two trailers up doing the same thing.
"I am going to find out if anyone else is awake, Jimmy, I don't trust that guy".
"Yeah, that might be a good thing to do Nora", Jimmy agreed.
As she grabbed the mic and started talking she got someone known as the troublemaker. She explained the situation and he informed her that they should stay in the truck, that he was actually coming up on the entrance and that he would blink his lights when he saw hers and maybe he could find a spot on the other end of the park. Waving as he went by, he edged himself into a spot facing them from the opposite end of the stop.
"It sure is a tight fit in here tonight. I don't see the guy anywhere that you described. You know, diamondback, he was probably just a lot lizard. They are all over the place. Maybe the glasses belong to a driver, after all we are required to carry two pairs. I'm going to try to stretch my legs abit and then I need to get going again, why don't yall meet me over by the water fountain?" Maybe between the two of us we can find a lost and found drop box or something like that." Jimmy and Nora both agreed that would be a good idea, and prepared to exit the truck, when the CB blared again. "Diamondback, yall stay in that truck. That guy you described just came out of the wooded area and he is with another man, who is about twice his size. He doesn't have a shirt on at all. Didn't you say the younger guy had on an oversized shirt, and a tee-shirt? It's fairly chilly out here tonight, wonder what's up with that? Has anyone returned to car with the purse"?
"No, not yet, Jimmy responded as he grabbed the mic. This is 'rattlesnake, diamond's partner, this is really kind of weird. Lot lizard's or not, there is something kind of funky going on here. I tried to get out on my cell, but can't get a signal. We see the guys, good GOD, aren't they the couple"? Jimmy laughed, and Troublemaker agreed, saying well, it takes all kinds I guess. "Troublemaker, these two are getting into that car with the purse. Do you think we ought to get out of here and call the cops. There is something not right here".
"Is that the car pulling out? I am going to follow it if I can keep up with it, you guys get to the nearest phone, there should be one up the road about a mile or two, or maybe you can get a signal. As soon as I get out on the road I will call the cops too. Were you able to get a plate number?"
"No, it's too dark still, but we are pulling out also."
"Okay rattlesnake, let's see if we can find out what exactly is going on. Hell, they might have gotten that girl out in those woods, raped and killed her, or who knows she might be hurt really bad. Those woods are really thick, and as soon as possible, we need to contact the cops about this, just in case. Hey, they are slowing down, and it looks like they just opened the door and threw something out, but it's still too dark for me to see what it is. Now they are back on the road and they are moving at breakneck speed. There is no way I can keep up with them. This old truck just ain't what she used to be, but I am within signal range and calling in. After that, I have to head over to my drop, I've only got about an hour to get there and I need to beat the traffic. It's clear across town and I am really getting tired."
"Okay, good buddy, we appreciate the help and we are calling in also. We just reached signal range and I am calling right now." Jimmy handed the mic to Nora, who had her hand patiently held out.
"Hey troublemaker, you ain't as tough as you want peeps to think, you're okay, thanks for the help."
"No probs diamondback, but like you, I don't want that reputation ruined, so let's just keep this between us. Yall be safe, and God speed."
"10-4 troublemaker, and back atcha." Diamond smiled over at Jimmy as he handed her the phone. The cops want you to tell them what you saw. As she took the phone from him she described the car and the purse and the glasses. The officer told her it was probably just a lot lizard, and not to worry about it. When she asked if she should drop off the glasses, they told her no, that their officers working that area had just passed thru the rest stop and all seemed clear. With all that said, they said their goodby's and hung up.
Nora and Jimmy looked at each other and agreed that they had done all they could, and headed on out of town. Texas was still a long way away, and Nora crawled in the sleeper. Jimmy turned on the radio and headed toward Texas, but he couldn't shake the thought, of "WHAT IF".
Nora and Jimmy no longer drive together. In fact, they haven't seen each other in about 10 years. But Nora wonders,
Does Jimmy ever think about that morning? Does he ever wonder, as she does, if those glasses actually belonged to someone who disappeared all those years ago, never to be heard from again? Nora still has one pair of those glasses. She ran across them the other day, stored away in a box in the closet and thought about the story once again. So, Nora being Nora, and still wondering, she decided to share this story, in hopes that someday the mystery may be solved of the glasses.
copywrite A. J. Angerstein
Oct, 11, 2009
Article views: 7389
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