5:30 AM - I open my eyes to see a black, hairy, four legged creature staring back at me. WILL SOMEONE PLEASE LET THE DOG OUT?
5:45 AM I feel a wet nose at my ear. DID ANYONE LET THIS DOG OUT YET?
6:00 AM I smell dog breath panting in my face. SOMEBODY BETTER LET THIS DOG OUT NOW!
6:05 AM I sit up and realize I slept in my clothes again. I stumble towards the kitchen to make coffee and step on something wet along the way. Nobody let the dog out. I continue on to the kitchen and realize I forgot to buy coffee yesterday. Oh please, anything but my coffee. SOMEBODY COME CLEAN UP AFTER THE DOG!
6:15 AM I’m done cleaning up after the dog. Now it’s time to referee the first fight of the day. It’s the usual one - who gets which cereal bowl. I don’t know who wins. All I know is one is crying, one is in her room sulking, and one is eating. WHAT IS THAT DOG TRYING TO GET UNDER THE REFRIGERATOR?
7:00 AM No one is dressed yet. Except for me, but I slept in my clothes. My oldest has band rehearsal at 7:45. She has no clothes. The fact that her drawers are so full they won’t close means nothing. My Middle child is in his favorite pants again, the ones with the holes in the knees. My youngest comes out in an old party dress of her sisters, no sock and blue rain boots. I’M LEAVING IN 30 MINUTES WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!
7:25 AM My son can’t find his homework. He thinks it got thrown in the fireplace last night. It is my fault of course. My husband calls from who knows where. He is chipper this morning. Sure he is, he is out on the road without three kids hanging on him. I guess he can’t hear the crying and screaming through the phone.WILL YOU GUYS KEEP IT DOWN I CAN’T HEAR YOUR FATHER!
7:30 AM I am leaving with or without them. Three small bodies scamper out to the truck. I don’t even care what they are wearing anymore.But we aren’t on our way yet. There is still forgotten homework, lunch, permission slips, whatever. YOU GUYS NEED TO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!
7:40 AM We pull up to the school. The crying has stopped, and one is on their way. Now to rush back to the house so my son doesn’t miss the bus. GET OUT ANNA WE ARE RUNNING LATE
8:00 AM Pull back to the driveway just in time to see the tail lights of the school bus. Now I have to flag him down on the way back. Rebecca decides this would be a good time to take a walk to the beach. GET IN THE HOUSE I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO SEE YOU LOOKING LIKE THAT.
8:15 AM I am done with my cold shower and semi-dressed. I have 15 minutes to be out the door for school. Time for one more cup of coffee. WHAT IS THAT SMELL IN THE KITCHEN?
8:30 AM Somehow I am ready, Rebecca is dressed and we are on our way. I drop her off at the day care center and head to class. This is the most peaceful part of my day.
2:00 PM Back at the zoo. I open the door and get knocked down by that stupid dog. Rebecca thinks it is funny. Check the phone messages. Two from my husband wanting to know where the heck I am. Make a note to myself to print out my schedule for him AGAIN! The rest are the ususal, bill collectors and people wanting to sell me more stuff I can’t afford. WHAT IS THAT DOG DOING BEHIND THE REFRIGERATOR?
2:30 PM Rebecca is back in her “party” clothes. I try to start the lawnmower. Of course it won’t start. Out come the wrenches. I finally get it going and get some of the jungle cleared. Make a note to myself to buy a machete. Into the kitchen to get a cool drink. WHAT IS THAT SMELL?
3:30 PM The two big ones come storming in from school. Backpacks fly, voices are raised, the Refrigerator is open and closed and open and closed. I NEED, I WANT, CAN I GO?
And now the fun begins. Someone left thier books in school, someone has soccer practice, or flute lessons, or girl scouts, or Tae Kwon Do, or any combination of the bunch. From 4 pm till 8:30 pm I spend in the car, driving children from one end of town to the other, without even time to come home in between appointments. At some point, one of them will remind me that they haven't eaten. For some reason, they have this strange idea that they have to eat every day!
9:00 PM They are all home, and starting the bed time process finally. Of course, this will take about an hour, and I am fading fast. But first, I HAVE TO FIND THAT SMELL!
9:15 PM I have narrowed the smell down to coming from behind the refrigerator. I start to pull it out, and it starts to tip forward. Now my leg is stuck under the front, and to make matters worse, I forgot to tape the door shut first. Within seconds, there is a shmorgashboard on my kitchen floor. The dog is having a feast, the kids are screaming, and I am laughing, yes laughing. Not haha funny laughing, but the laughing that comes with total hysteria. Hysteria from being alone, from having to deal with the day to day things along with the big problems. Hysteria from not knowing where my husband is from one hour to the next.
9:30 PM The children have summoned a neighbor to get the fridge off of me. I am not hurt, just my pride. Together the children and I clean up the mess, that is what the stupid dog didn't get. We do find the source of the smell, it is a dead mouse, which my son eagerly picks up and wants to take to school for show and tell. I finally talk him into burying it in the yard, and send them all off to bed. By now it is quite late.
11:00 PM I finally collapse in an exhausted heap in front of my computer, where I find the comfort of other Trucker's Wives who understand my life. We share, laugh and cry together.
12:00 AM My husband calls to say good night. He is stopped for the night 1,000 miles from home, in a strange faraway town. He asks how my day was. Oh fine, nothing special I tell him. What difference would telling him make? There is nothing he can do about it. This is our life. It has been like this for 14 years, and it isn't going to change now. I tell him good night, and try to get to sleep. But one thing keeps going through my mind. All across the country, on dark highways, there are men and women away from home, driving to get to their next stop. And all across the country, in households not unlike mine, there are families taking care of business. Knowing that I am a part of the big family of trucking, makes it all a little easier.
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