Let's Don't ... Tucumcari

Let's Don't...  Tucumcari
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/Granny Gee

Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee... When I drove big truck with Skip!  Anthony, Texas...........


The radio was blaring wide open.  I was in the passenger seat of the big truck.  I was dancing in my seat, and I was 'getting down'.  Hands in the air, moving back, forwards in beat to the music... head bobbing side to side... curls bouncing!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T was playing... it had a good beat, it made me feel happy.  I loved to dance... I loved music.

Skip was driving.  It was his turn... Skip is a little more reserved than I... he didn't dance to the music.  What he did do (and I love it!), was begin 'playing drums' with his fingers. Skip can play drums.  He played in a band as a young man.  They used to play at dances.

We had just left Love's Truck Stop in Oklahoma... we were into the music, just enjoying riding... keeping that beat.  Ever so often, I felt this little feeling of 'something not quite right'.

I began paying attention to the signs as we traveled Interstate 40... then, I'd forget ... the music was in my body.  'I had to get down'... I had to dance.  :)))

Mmmm-mmm, something's not right.  I went on to forget, thinking about how glad I would be when we got to North Carolina.  I was ready to be home for a few days.  I loved driving a big truck... it was wonderful.  I learned to drive on the highest mountains out west... without getting the brakes hot.  I was very careful, and proud that I, as a woman, could get the opportunity to do it.

The inside of our big truck was like a motor home... beautiful.  I had all very nice.  Beautiful bed with nice sheets, comforter and matching pillow cases, shams.  The upholstery on the walls was nice.  I loved how nice I could make it look with my own touches.

I bought a nice tv, that was white.... it sat on its own shelf.  It had a radio on it, plus weather radio.  I loved it... it picked stations up good.  We had our cellphones, and of course, back then... CB radios.  Today's time... not a lot of people use their CBs.  They listen to satellite radio, and talk on their cellphones.

We'd driven almost 50-60 miles... "Hey Skip, I don't think you are going the right way!"  Skip looked at me... alarm in his eyes.  "What makes you think I'm going the wrong way?"

"Well, that sign said ... Tucumcari, that's why.  Didn't we come through Tucumcari, New Mexico to get to Love's Truck Stop in Oklahoma?"  Skip told me to quit joking... 'he knew' we were going the right way!  I thought to myself, "you are going to see!"

Sure enough, we saw another sign that got Skip's attention... he hated that he'd made a mistake in front of me.  Of course, I sat there with 'that little smug smile' we all get... when we are right.  I didn't often get a chance to say.... 'I told you so!'

He turned that big rig around... to go in the right direction... Interstate 40 East.  Homeward bound!  We'd driven about 60 miles in the 'wrong direction'!  We wanted to get home... that wasn't a good thing.

Now... in today's time... we make reference to Tucumcari in a good way.  If one of us feels down... we say we need to go forward, not backwards the same way we've already come... it just takes longer to get to that point in time... again.  Time that is wasted.

So, now instead of 'Tucumcaring'... we try our best to go forward, instead of ... backwards.  One of us will say, let's don't 'Tucumcari', now.