I\u2019ve been driving freight since I was nineteen. When childcare got too expensive, I strapped a car seat into the rig and brought Micah with me. He\u2019s two now\u2014sharp, stubborn, and already knows how to radio-check better than some new hires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not exactly conventional, but he loves the road. The noise, the movement, the steady rhythm of tires on asphalt. Honestly, having him close helps with the loneliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We wear matching hi-vis jackets, share snacks, and sing the same off-key songs on every stretch of highway. Most days blur together\u2014truck stops, delivery docks, refueling routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But last week, right outside Amarillo, something happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019d stopped at a rest area just before sunset. I was checking the trailer straps while Micah sat on the curb, humming to himself and playing with his toy dump truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he looked up at me\u2014out of nowhere\u2014and said, \u201cMama, when is he coming back?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I blinked. \u201cWho, baby?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Micah pointed toward the cab. \u201cThe man who sits up front. He was here yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because we\u2019d been alone. We\u2019re always alone. I don\u2019t let anyone else in that truck. Ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knelt beside him. \u201cWhat man, Micah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He didn\u2019t seem scared. Just matter-of-fact. \u201cThe one who gave me the paper. He said it\u2019s for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I checked the cab. Nothing obvious. But later, when I opened the glove box to get my logbook, there it was\u2014a folded piece of paper, Micah\u2019s name written across the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My hands shook as I opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside, in neat block letters, was one sentence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWATCH THE NEXT TRUCK STOP.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That was it. No signature. No explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next few hours felt like the longest of my life. Every headlight in my mirrors, every car that lingered behind us, made my pulse race. I didn\u2019t stop until we reached a well-lit, crowded truck plaza. I parked right under the cameras, got Micah inside, and locked us in a booth at the diner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To this day, I don\u2019t know who left that note\u2014or why they knew my son\u2019s name. But I haven\u2019t taken a load through Amarillo since. And now, every night, I double-check the locks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve been driving freight since I was nineteen. When childcare got too expensive, I strapped a car seat into the rig and brought Micah with me. He\u2019s… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}