Angels on the Highway

Angels of the Highway



I meant an angel in Clarksville, Tennessee. I was tired, road whipped and I needed to find a place to sleep. Forget the T.A. on the Hwy. 24, exit 62, too many lot lizards for my taste. I decided to move on toward my stop hoping to find a place to lay my head for the night. Asking on the C.B, I stumbled across my question on where a truck stop would be between Nashville and Clarksville, the only answer was a small fuel stop on exit 24. I pulled in and lucky found a hole.

My poor little Yorkie who waits patiently for his rendezvous with the nearest bush jumped happily to get his chance to pee in Tennessee. I walked back to my truck my head thinking of the bunk, when an older gentleman approached me. His face was kind and his eyes shone with love, his hair was gray and scruff lined his rugged features. His comment was about my dog and he showed me a picture on his cell phone of his little Jack Russell Terrier. I thought this old man was pretty picture savvy.

We conversed for several minutes and I asked him if he knew Clarksville well enough to point me in the direction of my next pick up. I broke out my atlas; the pages wore with years of thumbing through them. His laugh was explosive as I sat in the driver’s seat with my tattered atlas and a magnifying glass. He left me there exploring this new place in Tennessee and returned with a new atlas, large bold print and laminated pages. Hell, I didn’t even need my glasses, it was a dream come true.

I found what I was looking for and handed back his atlas, he pushed it toward me saying it was mine now. I was shocked, how could I ever take this old mans atlas? “You will use it more then me, I know where all my stops are” He spoke in a Tennessee drawl. Of course I refused, but he insisted. All it will cost you is a hug. I gladly obliged.

And then he was gone.

You know it is an angel when they disappear as quickly as they appear.

If you are ever in the Nashville/Clarksville area give a holler to Papa Smurf. You will be blessed when he answers.