Slowly Rolls the Tide

Stuart "Red" MacHeath allowed himself the smallest of smiles to creep into his otherwise dismal day, as he shoved his Freightliner further into the intersection. From his vantage point out the side window of his truck, in what had the feel of a front row seat to the demolition derby, he watched the young girl in the Ford Tempo smash violently and in his professional opinion, intently, into the much more expensive Porsche. In his rear-view mirror now, he could see the two women locked in a screaming fit, mere feet from the intersection at Fairfax and Olympic; tempers were definitely flaring on this particularly nasty travel day.

He surely would liked to have refereed that match. That young one in the Tempo showed some spunk, but his journey was to come to an end in a little more than a mile further along the San Vicente Boulevard, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
If he could ever get there.

He'd picked up the load of medical supplies with the “Urgent” stamp emblazoned all over them, at the cross-border facility in Tijuana, Mexico a little before 6 in the AM, and things had been running smoothly right up until... he checked his watch to verify reality rather than just guess at what it felt like... only an hour ago. That's when "curious" gave way to "chaotic" as the traffic lights all stopped functioning at strangely enough, the same time both his satellite and terra-based AM/FM radios stopped receiving their signals. If he got the opportunity he would turn on the television set he kept strapped down on the shelf in the bunk, but he had this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that there wouldn't be a signal on that medium either.

"... seems to be the problem?"

Red's introspective was interrupted by the elderly lady calling up to him from the car creeping alongside. It wouldn't be the first time that fellow victims of traffic jams asked him for information; trucker's CBs were a bridge of knowledge in situations just like this. Today however, it was eerily different.

"I'm not sure Ma'am," he replied. "It seems that there's some kind of power outage. The traffic lights aren't working and I can't get any news from the radio."

Frustration evident, but with that “oh well, this is L.A.” resignation, she returned herself to the car and rolled the window back up to wait it out.

He checked his watch again. Twenty-five after three; he'd been gridlocked for over two hours. The medical facility that heralded the end of this journey was in sight, a mere three blocks away but it felt like he was swimming in mud. He'd promised his sister that he'd stop by after he got unloaded, and at the snail's pace he was managing, it would be for supper rather than the late lunch they'd planned on.

The thought of his sister brought another smile. Attractive, witty, talented. She had everything it takes to make it in the acting business... everything but the "me first" attitude of course. Screen test after screen test fell by the wayside when she refused to allow “personal favors” to rule the direction her career was going to take. He remembered a particularly difficult evening several years ago, when he had to get physical with an up-and-coming director who just would not take “no” for an answer. His fingers found the scar in the center of his chest where the fellows knife bit deep... that was far too close! It was then that she fell into her second calling: Nursing.

She'd been trying to set him up with her lady friends ever since, but Red's particular career wasn't one that made for the starting of long-term relationships; the last one failed miserably just prior to the altar. He'd accepted it as a blessing in disguise and resigned himself to a life of bachelorhood.

Just past 3rd street, he flicked on his turn signal to let the rest of the sea of autos know that he needed to make 75 feet of truck and trailer turn left onto Gracie Allen Drive. Then it would be a quick left onto George Burns Road, back into the docks and let the afternoon shift receivers take this "Hot Load" off the deck of his trailer. He could use the inter-hospital phones to call Lana. She said she'd be working today.... and she had some great news that she wanted to share.