Spirit of the Road

by Rick L. Huffman

  As of this writing, Kitty is now 17 years old and doing pretty well for an elderly cat. Upon my brief return to trucking in 2012, the now-retired Kitty would meow in anticipation of going on the road when I began to pack up to go out again. I hated not being able to take her but, by this time, she suffered too many senior issues to subject her to life on the road again. She now enjoys her senior years with a family, which includes two dogs, that remains at home. But sometimes, I think a part of Kitty still pines for the road. I think a part of me also does.

  In Memoriam

  Kitty passed away in July of 2014 about a month shy of her 18th birthday. After having her as a constant companion for the amount of time it would take to raise a child to high school graduation, it was a sad July morning when I reluctantly accepted that July 1, 2014 would be the last day I’d ever spend with her. After suffering multiple senior maladies for the past few years, she had finally cashed in the last of her nine lives.

  No less than four times before, I took her to the vet thinking it was the final curtain call but, each time, she fought back with stubborn feline tenacity to once again reign supreme over her two dogs (and two humans) at home. Tonie and I were awed by Kitty’s miraculous ability to make a comeback. On that fateful morning, however, it was sadly obvious there would be no amazing recovery this time. Kitty’s number had finally been called. As I lifted her lethargic body from her bed and hugged her for one of the last times, she forced a feeble purr, and I recalled one of the first times I’d ever held her like that.

  About seventeen years before, I hugged the small and delicate kitten as tightly as I dared as we huddled in the walk-in closet of my one-bedroom apartment among my clothes and next to the water heater. She still had the stitches in her abdomen from recent surgery. I had experimented with different names for the abandoned kitten after I’d claimed her as my own, but none of them seemed to fit, so I just called her "Kitty." By then, she recognized it as her name, so there didn’t seem to be a need to change it.

  The eerie wail of a tornado warning siren filled the sky in the Five Points Historic District in Huntsville, Alabama. Tornado warnings were nothing new in the Tennessee Valley, but it was impossible to grow accustomed to the foreboding siren that began in a forlorn, low pitch and gradually escalated to an earsplitting high tone that pierced the skull like an icepick. At the verge of insanity, the tone dropped again and the bloodcurdling cycle of horrendous noise began anew.

  Just minutes before, I had stepped outside into the humid stillness of the calm before the storm. The sky appeared tinged with a sickly yellow hue as the stifling warm air made it seem difficult to breathe. The sultry air entailed a chilling silence that inspired a sense of dread to anyone familiar with a tornado-prone region. I immediately ran back inside and scooped up Kitty as gently as I could. With no tornado shelter at my apartment complex, Kitty and I went to the only room in the apartment with no windows—the closet.

  The power had gone out earlier, so I sat in the inky blackness of the closet expecting to hear the loud, telltale roar similar to a freight train outside, and praying that I wouldn’t. Instead, the calming purr of a kitten was the sound that proved to dominate my memory. Kitty’s gentle purrs almost made me forget that I was listening for the approach of a tornado as the rhythmic vibrations on my chest resounded serenely and provided calm despite the fearful circumstances. It was the purrs of a three-pound kitten that helped to make me feel safe against the impending danger of a tornado. Who could have known that a little cat had such power?

  Over the following seventeen years, Kitty’s gentle purrs provided me with needed reassurance in the face of many trials and tribulations. Her ornery feline demeanor supplied me with both laughter and frustration but, as the years passed, our personalities merged into a distinctive understanding and our bond strengthened immeasurably. I did not know a pet could fill my life with such comfort and love before Kitty, and I did not fully recognize the quality of that love until I walked out of the vet’s office on that day without her.

  As I write this, over six months have gone by since Kitty’s passing and, although I still miss her terribly, I am better able to reflect on the memory of her with more joy than sadness. Although I recognize that it is all too easy to attach anthropomorphic characteristics to our pets, especially if they provide a primary source of companionship, it is equally true that, to most of us, pets are much more than "just a dog," or "just a cat." I have no doubt that I’ll cherish the memory of Kitty for the rest of my life.

  Kitty’s purrs, head-butts, cheek rubs, and even scratching provided sanctuary from some of life’s harsher realities over the years. Kitty was instrumental in helping me to cope with the death of my Grandmother, the loss of a job and the helpless uncertainty that followed; three horrid winters in upstate New York, an abrupt career change, and too many other personal struggles to name. Kitty remained the only constant in my life during a decade of change, loss, and turmoil.

  Finally, she took on the role of shotgun passenger in my eighteen-wheeler. During the five years she traveled across the country with me, she charmed countless security guards at hundreds of freight shippers and customers as we hauled everything from pet food to toilet paper, to Cap’n Crunch to knurled pistons from coast to coast. Her endless curiosity and love of life was never more evident than when she jumped in my lap at the end of a long day to thrust her head out the driver’s window and inhale the essence of wherever we happened to be. The pure satisfaction of the gift of life was unmistakable as her eyes glazed over in the bliss of the moment and her little pink nose twitched rapidly, soaking in the aromatic wonders of the world in which we lived. Kitty’s ability to draw euphoria out of the act of simply being alive sometimes gave me cause to let go of the day’s frustrations and just smile at her contentment. It was but one of the many gifts that Kitty gave me during our time together.

  Perhaps the greatest gift from Kitty occurred in the midst of an unlikely love story. When I met Tonie in 2008, she was a college professor in El Paso, Texas and I was a truck driver from Alabama. Despite the disparity of our backgrounds, it was apparent, early on, that we complimented one another like RC Cola and Moon Pie or, in terms of her culture, like Crema and Tacos al pastor. It was an unlikely pairing but, once we’d experienced the magical combination, it was hard to imagine one without the other. Thus began a long-distance relationship that put me on a first-name basis with the American Airlines clerks at the Huntsville International Airport for the next year or so. Finally, we decided it was time for me to move to El Paso, since my job afforded mobility.

  Prior to moving to El Paso, the meetings between Tonie and Kitty were cautious. Tonie had never been around cats before, and Kitty was often snobbish toward other humans in general. She was notably persnickety toward human females. Over the years prior to meeting Tonie, my dating life was spread out and erratic, and most of my dates were of the one-and-done variety. But on the rare occasions when I brought a date home, Kitty usually met their intrusion into her court with a challenging glare. I distinctly remember Kitty even giving one of them an aggressive hiss when the lady had the audacity to reach out to pet her. Kitty’s history with human females was largely one of antagonism, so both Tonie and I worried about how the scene would play out when I moved to El Paso. Tonie also had two dogs, and Kitty’s history with other animals was little better than with humans. So, there was that to worry about too.

  The players did not assimilate into the new culture immediately, but Kitty warmed up to the dogs more quickly than we could have imagined, and she warmed up to Tonie even more rapidly. It didn’t take long for Tonie to fall in love with Kitty either. Kitty allayed our worst fears by accepting her place into her new extended family with remarkably little fuss. It wasn’t long before Kitty began rubbing against Tonie to show her the affection previously reserved exclusively for me. In doing so, perhaps Kitty confirmed that I had finally found the perfect pairing; the RC Cola to my Moon Pie—the Crema to my taco. I could never
ask for a greater gift.

  Tonie’s tears flowed just as freely as mine on the day Kitty died, and it was apparent that we had lost much more than a pet—we had lost a member of the family. Before she died, I kissed her on the top of the head and told her that I loved her, but she already knew that. Despite the pain of losing her, I can take solace in the knowledge that she was loved and cherished. She was my most trusted and welcome companion for the many years before I met Tonie, and she became a treasured member of a new family thereafter. She was undoubtedly one of the well-travelled cats in America, having been through each of the 48 contiguous states, and having left her paws prints in most of them. I could not have asked for a better road companion. She gave me over seventeen years of love and friendship, and I was happy to give it back in return. Tonie and I spread Kitty’s ashes beneath a beautiful cottonwood tree on the banks of the Rio Grande so she can forever enjoy the communion with nature that she so adored.

  Goodbye my sweet girl. You were so much more than "just a cat." You were the best friend I’ve ever had.

  Rick L. Huffman

  January, 2015

  About the Author:

  Rick L. Huffman began a broadcasting career in 1985 as a part-time disc jockey. Soon making the transition to television, he was involved in every aspect of production over a 20-year span, which eventually led him to New York. Fed up with high-strung bosses, Rick totally changed gears in 2005 and started driving an 18-wheeler across the country for the next five years.

  After making a career change to trucking, it did not take long to see that the story of this unique lifestyle waited to be told. He began taking daily notes on the adventures of road life, intent on telling a story of a passionate group of whom little is known by the general public, namely, truckers.

  Rick is a veteran of the United States Navy where he served aboard a submarine during the cold war era. Rick is from Huntsville, Alabama but now resides in El Paso, Texas.

  Upcoming Projects:

  The working title of Rick’s first novel is: The Road to Vermont. On the day after his fiftieth birthday, a lonely long-haul truck driver, Dieter Dietz, wakes up with a hangover in the Mojave Desert near Las Vegas. Having lived a life that he sees as one disaster and disappointment after the next, the recent death of Rue, a twenty-year-old cat who was his closest companion, is simply the latest kick to the groin delivered to him by a pathetic life. Before he retires from trucking and crawls into a whiskey bottle to tolerate the remainder of a miserable existence, he wishes to sprinkle Rue's remains at the corporate headquarters of Ben & Jerry's, since this brand of ice cream was her favorite treat. With the ashes of his beloved cat tucked away in a Prince Albert can, Dieter Dietz meets a host of quirky characters on the road to Vermont who challenge his resignation from life and force him to take an introspective journey inspired both by their own unique lives, and through his own retelling of a hilarious and tragic family history. We are reminded that lives intersect in strange and unpredictable ways and that we never know how our life might make a profound difference in someone else's whether we know about it or not. The Road to Vermont is a sweeping, epic tale that takes the reader from the islands of American Samoa, to the fishing docks of small-town Alaska, to the world of the Lucha libre in Mexico City, to the treacherous Appalachian Trail and, of course, across the highways of America.

  If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. It means a lot.

  Leave an Amazon review here:

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DU0T5SU

  Like our Facebook Page:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Trucker/399162519814

  Meet Rick and Kitty on YouTube:

  Life with Kitty

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6Xvim79NI

  Rick’s YouTube Channel

  https://www.youtube.com/user/CMVrick/videos

  Endnotes

  * * *

  [1] The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp - RedOrbit (n.d.). Retrieved from http;//www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/general-2/cryptozoology/1112948529/lizard-man-of-scape-ore-swamp/

  [2] Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.coondogcemetery.com

  [3] The Great American Stations – Greenwood, Mississippi (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/GWD

  [4] Frostproof, Florida – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frostproof,_Florida

  [5] City of Vincennes, Indiana – History (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.vincennes.org/dev/history/

  [6] Bear Creek, Alabama – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Creek,_Alabama

  [7] Welcome to Prosperity, South Carolina - History. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.prosperitysc.com/page/history

  [8] South Carolina, Memories of Swansea – SCIWAY – South Carolina’s Information Highway (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sciway.net/hist/swansea-sc-memories.html

  [9] Fort Rucker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Rucker

  [10] Watch the Latest Promo for the Silver Springs Film Fest! (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ocalacep.com/cep-news/entry/watch-the-latest-promo-for-the-silver-springs-film-fest

  [11]Celebrate Fitzgerald’s 3rd Annual Wild Chicken Festival – WRD News story – Outdoor Central News Network archives (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.outdoorcentral.com/mc/pr/03/02/28d4.asp

  [12] Fitzgerald, Georgia: Downtown Wild Chickens – Festival – Roadside America.com (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/14685

  [13] Morristown, Tennessee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morristown,_Tennessee

  [14] Feisty Females: Alice Harrell Strickland - Diggin’ History. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://historydepot.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/feisty-females-alice-harrell-strickland

  [15] The History of Helena, Montana - Big Sky Fishing.Com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bigskyfishing.com/Montana-Info/helena-mt-2.shtm

  [16] Little Chicago: Cemetery tour a success – North Platte Bulletin (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=15152&pageID=3

  [17] Ottumwa, Iowa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottumwa,_Iowa

  [18] Ogden, Utah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden,_Utah

  [19] Gold Mining in Nevada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_mining_in_Nevada

  [20] Mountain View travel guide - Wikitravel. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wikitravel.org/en/Mountain_View_%28California%29

  [21] Interstate 80 - Wyoming - AARoads - The Online Highway Guide! (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aaroads.com/west/i-080_wy.html

  [22] Have a ball at the Testicle Festival - Out West Newspaper. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.outwestnewspaper.com/balls.html

  [23] City of Deland, Florida information. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.delandflorida.com/local/cityinfo.html

  [24] Research on the Health and Wellness of Commercial Truck and Bus Drivers – Summary of an International Conference – Transportation Research Board – Conference Proceedings on the Web 5. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conf/CPW5.pdf

  [25] Truck Drivers Top List of Overweight Workers – HealthDay – News for Healthier Living. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://consumer.healthday.com/public-health-information-30/economic-status-health-news-224/truck-drivers-secretaries-top-list-of-most-obese-jobs-study-683816.html

  [26] Born And Raised In The South...,: Gadsden, AL. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ltc4940.blogspot.com/2009/04/gadston-al.html

  [27] Dacula, Georgia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacula,_Georgia

  [28] Historic Dunedin – Dunedin Home of Ho
neymoon Island (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dunedingov.com/index.aspx?page=2a

  [29] Clinton, Tennessee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton,_Tennessee

  [30] 6 Vicious Rivalries — HISTORY Lists. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/6-vicious-rivalries

  [31] Green River Gorge|Hiking|Hunting|Fishing|Blue Ridge Mountains ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/attractions-destinations/green-river-gorge

  [32] AW2010: Friday | Professional Disc Golf Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pdga.com/aw2010-friday

  [33] What is the geography of Sidney, Nebraska? | Answerbag. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/215405

  [34] DOWNTOWN SIDNEY MASTER PLAN - Sidney, NE - Official Website. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cityofsidney.org/index.aspx?NID=359

  [35] Profiles In Desperation | Overdrive - Owner Operators ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.overdriveonline.com/profiles-in-desperation

  [36] Huntsville, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsville,_Texas

  [37] Best of Brownsville - Tourist Information, Restaurants, Bars ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://brownsville.bestoftexas.com/