I was not particularly hungry in spite of the fact that I last eaten a full meal on the ferry from Nanaimo to the mainland 48 hours ago, but I knew I should grab something as it could be a long day. So after getting off the bus at the east end of Calgary I dropped in at a McDonald’s and grabbed a mcmuffin. I ate it as I walked out to the highway. Not the best breakfast in the world but it would have to do.
They (the city of Calgary) have been doing road construction on the eastern outskirts of the city for at least the past four or five years. It is now finished and that has made my twenty or so minute walk to the edge of the city so much easier and safer. It is still tricky as there are lanes entering and exiting the highway that need to be crossed over. Many of the drivers appear to be confused when they see someone walking along the shoulder of the highway. I don’t think they see someone walking east out of town very often.
I was feeling pretty good. I had had two good sleeps in a row, I had managed to navigate my way through Calgary without a hitch and so far my body had been holding up just fine. I had a smile on my face as I stuck out my thumb.
Forty minutes later I got a ride all the way to other side of Medicine Hat. My driver was a worker in the oil fields and had come home for a few days to visit his family. He had just bought a nearly brand new, top of the line Honda. It was luxurious, really comfortable and my driver was excited about having such a nice car to show off. In hindsight I don’t know why we didn’t talk much about his work life. Almost always when I get a drive with an oil field guy, they are younger and still full of ( or at least they talk as if they are) the excitement of making big money. But my driver was older and I wish I had asked him what it was like after being in that life for 20 years. But we didn’t talk about that sort of thing. We talked about life and its complexities. He was divorced from his wife and therefore was an absentee dad. But I think he worked hard at being a good dad and made the trip down as often as he could to spend time with his son. It was difficult for him to always keep connected to that part of his life and to live in the present day. We both agreed that it was, on occasion, difficult to be tied to the past and at the same time to move forward. We also talked about girlfriends and what school was like for kids these days and no matter how much we like our jobs, some days (or some weeks) work was just not any fun. Just guy stuff. A pleasant ride that met (I hope) both of our needs. He got some company over a stretch of highway that he had driven a hundred times. I got to ride in a nice car and to hear some more stories.
Can life be better than that?
No comments:
Post a Comment