For Real

…It was a couple of weeks now after Darrel had been found by me and I still thought about what would motivate someone to use heroin. Sam felt it was a way for him to come down from driving long distances. He was probably using amphetamines to stay awake while driving. Sam didn’t think he was using for long and that’s why he overdosed. I thought a couple of cold beers would have been fine for me, but Sam explained, “the euphoria and immediate rush once the tourniquet was loosed after the injection was the high. If the heroin was good they would nod off, sleeping.” That’s why the boss said he was now officially a citizen of the land of nod. The drug is very addictive, and Sam said he stayed away from using any nonprescription. Like me, a cold beer is all he needed, but Darrel was not cut from that cloth.

…We began unloading our last trailer of the day, and I was feeling pretty energetic. My mood was now a little more up beat knowing we were at the end of our shift. As I lifted what I thought was the last box out of the truck I bumped a much smaller box that was under it. The smaller box began to vibrate and started bouncing all over the floor of the now empty truck. I would be crazy to admit I wasn’t afraid but that unexpected vibrating put me into a sheer panic. I hauled ass out of the empty trailer. The now vibrating little box was bouncing all over the floor of the trailer. Sam was laughing and instructed me to go back and get it. “Hell no,” I exclaimed. It could be a bomb!” He called me a rookie shaking his head and still laughing as he fetched it. He shook it a few more time and it stopped vibrating. He shook again and it started vibrating again. I could see he was having fun at my expense.

…I was truly impressed. He didn’t blow up. Still laughing he brought the box over for me to inspect. He instructed me to look at the address and return address. It was addressed to a Mrs. Connolly somewhere in Detroit, Michigan. The return address was Adam and Eve Specialty Shops no other address given. He asked me, “do you know who they are?” I shook my head no. He smiled again shaking his head, then said, “They sell sex toys.” He couldn’t stop laughing. Damn, I thought out loud again. “so your telling me that this is probably a battery operated dildo?” Man, I felt like a real idiot now. He shook his head yes but said, “what ever it is they may need to buy new batteries for it by the time they get it. It just might quit working right in the middle of their usage.” I laughed, saying, “Yep, maybe just like their partner. Deja vu!” Sam continued laughing. I didn’t feel so bad now and as we began punching out a sign by the time clock was posted for everyone to see. “UPS Employees Mandatory Meeting!” … My Life’s Journey Continued…