Everyone who has been around me for some time knows I love trains. I must have been a hobo in another life because I love the sound of trains, the rails as they move from side to side, the smell of cabins and the luxury of being served in the restaurant cabin. I am an Amtrak frequent miles card holder.
But going from Joplin, Missouri to Stuart, Florida was not a train ride, so I flew into Orlando with train tickets in hand to transfer and go south. Little I realized that from Orlando South there is no train and the Greyhound Bus is operated by Amtrak. Not to be disillusioned, I took my luggage and boarded the Greyhound Bus heading south.
When the bus arrived in Indiantown, the driver asked me to step out of the bus because this was the last stop for the day. I asked how far we were from Stuart, “Not far,” he said. After I gathered myself on the sidewalk with my luggage, I realized there was nothing but a grocery store about ¼ mile down the road, nothing else but sugar cane growing in the fields. So I walked toward the grocery store, wishing I was wearing comfortable shoes instead of high heels.
The grocery store was a throwback to 1939 and here I was, all decked out and nowhere to go with my entire luggage, sample case, computer and phone. I rolled into the store and asked if there was shuttle service, taxi, bus or anything with wheels to take me to Stuart, which is about 22 miles to the North East.
Because this was a surprise visit to the sales rep in the area, I could not call her for a ride. Our company was concerned about the lack of sales and I had received several phone calls from contractors when they could not get information back to them in a timely manner. Here I was stranded on the side of the road, surrounded by sugar cane.
The lady behind the store counter laughed when I asked for transportation, but wait, her cousin drives the Pepsi Cola truck and his mother is in a nursing home in Stuart where he visits her every day. He arrives in Indiantown to pick up his car every day around this time. What luck, I have a way to get to my destination.
I spied the Pepsi truck from the store window and I was stunned. It’s like seeing Clark Gable or Tom Selleck driving the Pepsi truck. WOW. He’s so good looking. And he spoke Spanish.
The woman related my story in a few words and he agreed to drive me to Stuart, but he needed to get home, shower and change out of his uniform and if I didn’t mind, he needed to be presentable for his mother, who was waiting for him at the nursing home.
He drove a black Chevy Camaro. He was good looking, (I know I already said it). He drove well. He lived in a trailer. He took his shower while I waited in the car and then he drove me to Stuart. What a ride. What a guy. And he even helped me with my luggage when we arrived at my hotel. I bought flowers for his mother because he did not want to take any money for the ride.
Sometimes you need to be grateful for the roads you need to take to get to your destination. They may not be the ones you planned for, but you get there anyway. The next day I met with the local rep, asked for the sample cases and I dismissed her.
I will not forget this trip to Stuart or the kindness I received from so many when I was in need.
