061804

 

Warfield Truck Terminal

Friday June 18, 2004

     6:17am  I slept in the, not the TV room, but the arcade. On the floor. In the middle of the night I just lay down on the floor. I put my falsa blanket down.

     7:14am  Jesse hooked me up with a cigarette at the truckstop. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     7:54am  I made a sign that says "New Mexico?" and I'm just walking around all the parked trucks showing them my sign.

     8:12am  I haven't gotten a ride yet. I'm probably not going to get one all day. I asked this SBC guy for a ride and he told me that they keep track of their trucks with GPS satellites. Excuses, excuses. I probably shouldn't be telling this guy my story anyway.

     9:05am  Richard, a trucker, just hooked me up with a whole pack of Sundancer cigarettes! I appreciate it, Richard. Badass. Everybody gets credit. Thanks.

     9:28am  This guy just walked by and said he'd give me a ride to California at five in the morning tomorrow. He said all the way to Bakersfield. I know where that is. I'm thinking maybe that's what I should do. Go to California first, hit the rainbow gathering in Humboldt . . and then come back through New Mexico.

     10:25am  This trucker just walked up to me and asked me if I wanted to work. I said sure, give me a project. He told me to just wash his wheels.

     12:16am  I just got done polishing that guy's wheels. I didn't even really need the money. He gave me ten dollars. He bought me two cookies and gave me a shower ticket. Awesome. I'm going to take a shower.

     1:18am  Regina just hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, sister.

                    I just got out of the shower right now. I feel great. I got my Willie Nelson shirt on. I feel real good. I hope I get a ride soon.

     2:00pm  This big group of people from West Telemarketing just came in. Well, it says AT&T on their nametags, but also West. I feel like asking them if they're from San Antonio. I'll tell them, "Yeah, I've worked at West a million times. I am banned from working at West."

     3:08pm  These two West employees, these big bible thumpers came up to me. They told me I seemed like a nice person. They tried to preach to me and I just cut them off and asked them, "Do you guys drive a car?" They all told me, "Why are you smoking cigarettes? That's polluting too." I told them, "Your car smokes way more than I do."

     3:35pm  Regina hooked me up with the rest of her cake. I appreciate it Regina.

     5:28pm  Man, this sucks. Nobody is giving me a ride. I met this other homeless lady, Candy. She's got her two front teeth knocked out. Someone punched her out in Midland. She walked all the way over here. She walked to the Travelodge, at least. At first I thought she was walking out to her car, so I walked up to her and asked her if I could get a ride West. It turns out she's homeless and just got dropped off. She asked me, "What should I do?" I told her to just come hang out with me and ask for truckers for rides. She was all concerned, "Nobody will call the cops?" I told her she had absolutely nothing to worry about. So now, there's two people asking for rides, which kind of lessens my chances. Patience is a virtue. I'll get my ride when I am meant to.

     6:05pm  I walked across the street to the Chevron. I'm going to try and score some weed. Preston hooked me up with a cigarette.

                   I went to the Chevron across the street, came back to the truckstop and Candy was gone. Might be good, might be bad.

                   Oh no! I just realized I lost my marijuana rag! Ack! That's an integral part of my uniform. It fell out of my pocket. Ugh, it was wrapped around my fossil. Whew, I still have my fossil. I had asked these guys if they knew where I could score some weed and this one dude told me to go over the hill to some motel. I'm walking.

     7:19pm  I walked over the hill and I don't see any motel. Well, I see two, but they're not all ghetto. They're airport hotels. But there's another historical marker here: "Midland County: Created and organized in March 1885. First known as a junction of many trails and site of the last Comanche raid into Texas. In 1881 the Texas and Pacific railroads are built. Equidistance between El Paso and Fort Worth. The town became known as Midland. The first settler was a sheep-man in 1882. Cattlemen came here with Herefords in 1888. Water wells and windmills lured small farmers. Became headquarters for the 1928 Permian Basin Oil Discovery. In 1945 its first well came in. The "Midland Man," oldest skeletal remains of North America(18500 B.C.) was found in 1954."

     7:41pm  I came into the Airport Plaza. I asked the girl working there if I could tell her my story. I told her my mission objectives and asked her if she was willing to listen, that I hated wasting my time. She told me, "No, that's alright." I told her, "Ignorance is bliss, I guess," and walked off.

     7:47pm  Dale hooked me up with a cigarette in front of Culligan Water place.

                   Damn, Dale wouldn't listen to my story either. Midland is way ignorant.

     8:25pm  I came back to the truckstop and Dale is hooking me up with something at the Subway. I appreciate it, brother. I don't see Candy anywhere.

                   I went to the bathroom and some black dude told me, "Oh, you're friend was looking for you." I told him, "Really? I thought she got a ride." He told me, "Well, she's back."

                   I run into Candy and tell her that dude had told me she was looking for me. Candy was almost in tears. She told me that that black dude had offered her a ride and when they took off he started fondling her and stuff. She freaked and told him to bring her back to the truckstop, which he did. I gave Candy a big hug and told her I was proud of her for taking charge.

     9:42pm  Candy just got a ride. This guy came up to me and offered us both a ride. He was going East though. Candy would go any direction. He seemed trustworthy. He had a ring on his finger. He said he had a wife and kid and that he was a good guy. Candy asks me, "Do you think I should go with him?" I told her, "I wouldn't pass it up. I've been here for a couple days with no ride." So Candy's gone. So I'm by myself. Which increases my chances.

     11:02pm  I think I just secured my ride. Carl is going to take me to New Mexico in three hours. He has to get a little sleep first.

     11:54pm  Yvonne is hooking me up with a hotdog. I'm hungry.

Next day..