Peek: Keep on Truckin' (Patreon)

In a two-pump gas station in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, a semi-truck pulls up.  The white cab is a bit dirty, but well cared for, with the Peterbuilt logo looking freshly polished.  In all the time the driver have been behind the wheel, nobody has pointed out the apparent typo.  The driver wonders if anyone ever will.

He doesn't tend to interact with the mortals long enough for them to notice, and those he does, are usually more concerned with something else at the time.  But these quiet moments are some of his favorite, and he savors pulling on his faded red cap and worn gloves, before he hops out of the truck and starts filling the tank.  It's the simple rituals that really give weight to the more complex ones, just like the ritual of going into the attached market of a station and picking out things that have no right to call themselves food or drink.

Even if it's oddly satisfying to consume them anyway.  Inside the station, an older woman is manning the till, and gives him a warm smile.  He tips his hat to her and starts wandering the aisles, looking for what he should gather.  These times always make him think back, back to a time where his duties were generally less enjoyable.  Stalking the isles and making his selections for snacks makes him remember stalking the streets of Memphis, looking for houses with no blood around the doorway.

Yes, he much prefers collecting twinkies to collecting the firstborn of Egypt.  There's much less... weight in the collection.  Still, he does sometimes collect people, as he is guided.  For the moment, there's no real Guidance to be had, so he savors his down time.  He gets a nice bag of jerky, and a tall cup of black coffee, before heading to the lady behind the till.

She smiles as he approaches.  "Hey Sweetie!  You on a long haul?" she asks, and the man smirks and nods.  She has no idea how long his haul is.

"Yes Ma'am.  Always on the move, but it's nice to have a stop every so often, and an empty tank is always a good excuse."

She smiles at that and starts ringing him up, and quickly has a total.  "Looks like you're still pumping, but the snacks come to $7.77."  He nods and pays with a ten.

"Keep the change, Ma'am."

"Aw, thanks Sugar!  You come through often?  I don't think I've seen you around before."

"I've been all over, though I don't know if I've passed through here before.  Any local attractions I should know about?"

"Well, Ed's Diner is the best meal in the county.  You gotta have his peach cobbler for dessert, too.  It's a regular slice of Heaven."

"Yeah?  I don't think I passed it on the way in."

She nods.  "He's just off the freeway, a couple miles up.  You can't miss it, so it'll be on your way, Darlin'."

He takes a few moments to consider that.  He's glad his next appointment isn't anywhere near here.  It'd almost certainly be with someone she knows, and she's the sort of friendly that would be devastated at the news.  He also has plenty of time to get where he needs to get, too.  He smiles and refocuses his attention on her.

"I don't think I'll be late for my pick up if I have a nice dinner."

"Just tell 'em I sent you, they'll treat you right, Hon."

He gives her a mischievous smile.  "Tell them the lady at the gas station sent me?"

She gasps at that.  "Oh goodness, where are my manners?  The name's Pam," she says with a friendly smile and holds her hand forward.  He takes it and smiles as well.

"Pleased to meet you, Pam.  You can call me Az."

The two chat for the time it takes for his truck to fill, and by the end, she's showing off pictures of her grandkids.  He pays and waves his goodbye, and climbs back into his truck to go to this diner.  He digs out his ledger before he gets going, and searches through it for a few moments.

"Ah, Pamela Josephkin."  He makes a note to personally shepherd her along, when it's her time.  While the free will of humans makes it impossible for him to predict precisely when that will be, he gets the feeling she'll be manning that station for a long time to come, and will probably get to show off great grandkids as she points people towards Ed's Diner.

Note made, he puts away the ledger and gets his truck into gear.  She said the cobbler was a slice of Heaven?  He'll be the judge of that.  And after a nice meal and dessert, he judges she's not far wrong.

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Inspired by Raufgar, who wanted a look at Truck-kun.