A Ride to Heaven and Back

Author's note: I did this one a while back, let me know what you think and if you like it, i will submit the other chapters for it, if not, well, can't win them all

"Here we are darlin', you sure you won't go on to New York with me?" The trucker who had picked her up in Miami grinned at her as she gathered up her duffel bag from the bunk. "You've been good company."

Reni Marks smiled brightly at him. "So have you Mick, and I wish you well, but I got to head west. Home is calling and after three years of being away, I am ready to answer." Leaning across the doghouse, she gave him a quick kiss. "Take care hon, and drive careful, not enough good people in the world, would hate to lose another one."

He nodded. "Back at you sweetheart, remember; you need anything, just call my cell. Load or not, I will be there as fast as this old rig can fly."

Reni knew he spoke the truth, he was a good guy and she might have stayed with him longer if she didn't need to go home. Instead, she had to say good bye and find another ride to take her closer to her past. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but the call was strong in her and she had to answer it.

Throwing her duffel down before her, she moved to climb out of the shiny red Kenworth and hit the ground with ease. Closing the door, she stepped back and made sure he saw her wave before he pulled out. He had hoped to have time to have dinner with her, but a call to his dispatcher had told him he was already running behind. He honked the air horn once, leaving her standing and watching as he left for the interstate.

With a sigh, Reni straightened her skirt and picked up the duffle bag. It wasn't heavy, the last three years she had learned to travel light, just the bare essentials. Anything else she could possibly need was available at the truck stop stores or such. She had also learned early that truckers made the best rides. Most were out so much that they found little to fill the lonely hours behind the wheel, and those that she had spent time with had been full of all kinds of stories. None of them had refused her request when she asked if it was alright if she used them in the book she wanted to write.

The notebooks were all safely back home with her parents. She only kept five with her at a time. The others were shipped off as soon as there were two or three of them full. Which reminded her, she needed to find a post office. The days spent with Mick had filled two more, giving her six to send home this time. That gave her over fifty, more then enough to fill her book.

"THE BOOK." From the very start it had been how her parents had referred to it since she had first talked about it. The book she had dreamed of writing since she was a kid. It would be a book of discovery and growth, the great American Novel. Her parents were to blame, growing up she had been filled with stories of their adventures in the sixties, stories of hippie communes and love-ins and anti-war protests. She had heard of Woodstock and Monterey Music Festival, of the Hells Angels and the Rolling Stones. Her parent's attic was full of psychedelic art work and old vinyl records of such artists as Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix. They had talked of the Grateful Dead, and San Francisco.

THE BOOK would cover three years of her life, from the day she left home after her graduation from high school, to now, at age twenty one and the places she had been and seen. She had traveled Route 66 and seen the Statue of Liberty; she had stood in Frisco's Chinatown and watched as they fixed foods that made her gag to think about, from San Antonio, Texas to Juneau, Alaska. The only place she hadn't visited was Hawaii and that was because she had both a fear of flying and of water travel.

Turning to look at the cafe, she sighed. Well, she was getting closer, this was Albuquerque, New Mexico and home was less then two thousand miles away. She would eat, get a room somewhere and prepare for another leg of her trip.

* * *

A tired looking waitress gave her a menu and she sat at the counter as she looked it over. The restaurant was busy, full of drivers, families and the odd on looker like her. That was a sure sign the food was good, but she had little appetite tonight. Finally she chose a chef's salad and a large ice tea, only to have a voice come from her left. "That isn't much for a body to survive on, you on one of those weird diets?"

Why did everyone figure if she ate light, she was on a diet? She had long ago come to terms with her being taller then average and full figured. Personally, she liked her body, large, well shaped breasts, a waist that tucked in a bit, and nice soft flaring hips that joined with long, well shaped legs. Her opinion was, if you didn't like how she looked, don't bother looking. And more then a few men did look at her, she was attractive enough in the face, with her long, sun bleached blonde hair and exotic shaped eyes. They were the color of an emerald, and her features were clear and well defined. Over her time traveling, she had been complimented on every part of her body and she did mean every part of her body. She had given her favor to only one man and it had been strictly her choice. If a man had gotten too pushy, she simply asked him to pull over and let her out. Few refused when she asked.

"Actually, I'm not very hungry tonight, I had a large lunch." Which was true, she had eaten well when she and Mick had stopped. She didn't turn to look at the questioner.

"Was he tasty...?" He spoke again, this time softer and closer to her ear.

That did make her look and she gave a sharp inhale of breathe as her eyes met the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. They were almost blue ice and they were deep set in a face that showed some age, but not as much as some she had met. He wore a five o'clock shadow that was as dark as the hair on his head, and highlighted his square jawed looks. The rest of his face showed full lips, a strong, long narrow nose. The man could have been a movie star with just his face alone.

"Actually, I have no idea; he had a wife in Springfield, Ohio and three gorgeous kids." She kept her tone as steady as was possible; normally she would have been sarcastic, but couldn't find it this time.

"You mean to tell me he let you out of his truck and didn't taste some of that fine looking flesh?" He grinned, revealing perfect, white teeth. "I need to find that boy and find out how he did it."

Reni frowned at the leer she now saw his face had take on. "I'll give you his cell phone number and you can call and ask him; while you're at it, you might ask him for lessons in manners." She reached in her purse and threw a twenty on the counter as the waitress appeared with her meal. "Give it to someone who can handle your customers."

She went out into the now night air and lit a cigarette with shaking fingers. God, she hated men like that. Men who thought they had to be coarse and disgusting. It was revolting. She had run into enough of them over the last three years and had learned to avoid them like the plague. Well; it just went to show that even perfect looks hid a dark side. Too bad he was so damn handsome.

"Hey, hold up. Stop dammit, come on will you?" A male voice made her pause until she saw who it was. Instead, she began to walk faster toward the street where she could catch a cab. She was almost there when he caught hold of her arm and pulled her to a stop. "Damn girl, stop already, I came to apologize to you. I saw you crawl out of the truck earlier and I thought..."

Reni knew what he had thought; she had run into the kind of women he had grouped her in with, women who traded bodies for rides or for money in general. She had gotten stories from them too, and they had been both funny and heartbreaking. "Okay, you apologized, now will you let me go before I scream? I don't appreciate being manhandled."

He let her go. "Seriously though, I do want to apologize. Come back in and let me buy you dinner. I mean a real dinner, none of that damn rabbit food." His voice was totally sincere. "We don't even have to eat there if you want something else. I saw a real nice steak house down the street about a block or so."

"I was serious about eating earlier, but any pizza parlors around?"

His grin returned full blast. "As a matter of fact...Uh, my name's Devlin Morris, and you are...?" The leer was gone, now real curiosity had entered his gorgeous eyes

"Reni Marks." She took the hand he held out, large and strong but his grip was easy on hers. It was a good thing, she was sure if he had really gone all out, her hand would have been in a cast by the end of the night. "Nice to meet you, I guess."

"It's nice to meet you Reni. There is a pizza place just up here a little ways. Serve a great veggie pizza and very nice chicken garlic one made perfect. The salad bar is stocked with all kinds of goodies." He offered her his arm. "Shall we go raid it?"

Despite herself, she took his arm and smiled. "My safety is in your hands."

"You are very safe there, believe me Reni. I only make an ass of myself once a night."

Her laughter mingled with his and as they walked, she noticed that not only was he half a head taller then her, but he was well built, with broad shoulders and narrow hips and legs that were hugged by the best fitting jeans she ever seen, talk about great legs. The sleeveless tee shirt he wore showed arms that were well tanned and it was clear that he worked on keeping his body in shape.

* * *

Devlin Morris looked at the gorgeous blond and saw she was actually smiling at him now. He still felt like a fool for making the assumptions that he had, but it was hard to tell. She didn't look like a lot of the females he had seen before, but who could tell? After eighteen years of driving and owning his own trucking company, it simply bugged him that he had misjudged her so badly.

They had arrived at the pizza parlor, found one they both agreed on, and filled their plates at the salad bar before finding a place to sit down. Now, with a pitcher of soda between them, they ate their salads and talked.

"So what brings you to Albuquerque Reni? Ever been here before?"

She shook her head, and wiped her mouth. "No, but I was hoping to on my way home. And here I am, since home is where I am heading. Back to Portland, the one in Oregon, not Maine. After three years, it's time to go home." She sounded both happy and sorry.

"Will it be a good homecoming or a bad one?"

"Both actually, I'm looking forward to going home, and my parents will be happy to have me home, I just wish it was under better circumstances. I been traveling in Florida for the last month, I called home like I do every time I am getting ready to move on, and my mother tearfully informed me that my dad has just been diagnosed with Cancer. The big C as she referred to it. So, I caught a ride out with Mick the next day and he brought me here."

"Surprised you didn't fly home."

"Inner ear problem can't fly. Don't do trips on deep water either." She sighed. "I hate to think that I wasted three years on this and how I could have been home spending time with him."

"Was he against you leaving?" She shook her head. "Then maybe it worked out the way it should have. Was this trip something you really wanted to do?"

"Oh yeah, I been dreaming of this since I was a kid, traveling the country the way my folks did back in the sixties. Well almost like that. They didn't have plastic or cell phones." Her smile returned. "My folks did it all, Frisco, communes, Woodstock, the whole Hippie thing."

"You don't look much like a hippie." If anything she looked like a well dressed young lady who kept up with the current fashion. A denim skirt cut a little above her knee, a soft flowing top with short sleeves and knee high black boots that accented her long legs. She had a fine figure and he had to admit to himself that he had felt a real arousal when she had sat beside him. Hell, his cock had gone to full attention and so far it was still there.

"I'm not, I don't do drugs, don't drink more then an occasional glass of wine, and I don't sleep with every man who asks me. Just one who was kind of cute and had a nice body. Actually, I have been interviewing truck drivers as I was traveling. They are almost like the hippies of the sixties, always moving, always on the go. Sort of cowboys - hippie - free wheeling type of life style."

Devlin laughed. Not at her but at the idea her words conjured up. It was true in a way. His own parents had been hippies in a way. The life he remembered growing up with had influenced him and his love of the road had come from traveling in his parents' old beat up VW van. It had been good and bad. "Your parents must have been older then most when they had you."

She licked her lips. "Actually, no, see they aren't really my parents. They're actually my grandparents. My mom got pregnant by a man and he deserted her as soon as she told him. Mom, the one who raised me, well she decided that rather then my mom have an abortion or give me up, her and grandpa would raise me. I had a good childhood, and I love them as much as I love my real mom. She's legally my sister, but she's been as much a mom to me as grandma. And the whole family never treated me as anything but their daughter."

Devlin wondered how content she really was with the situation. It must be hard on her at times. He changed the subject back to her travels. "So you interviewed all these truckers. What kind of stuff did you learn?"

"It would be a lot easier to say what I didn't learn from them, a lot about trucks, their families, all kinds of stuff. I heard stories and jokes and met all sorts. It's going to be about them and my own journey and how they helped me grow in more then age. I learned a love of the country that I never would have just staying back home. It was an eye-opening experience. A lot of folks don't realize how hard truckers work either; I'm going to make sure my book tells them."

He could almost want to applaud her for that. Most people didn't know what a life on the road did to the men who brought them the things most of them had in their homes. If she hadn't been trading sex for rides, he got the idea that a lot of the men she had rode with had gotten a hard worker in exchange. It would explain her gold toned skin and the tone of her body; a body that was making him remember how long it had been since he had felt a warm body in his bed. More then once during the walk here she had brushed against him and he had enjoyed it.

"So, you're hoping for a ride to Portland from here huh?"

"I hope to at least find one that is headed that direction. Even someone going to Seattle could drop me off. I don't know the ones from here, why I usually stay in a place month of two before moving on. Gives me a chance to get to know folks and learn who the best to talk to is."

Her planning surprised him. "How long you been planning this?"

"Since I was a kid, but I didn't leave home until I was eighteen. Mom and dad insisted I finish high school, and all." She took a bite of her salad.

"I am really impressed Reni, most eighteen years old would have just packed a bag, and headed out. But you really took time to think this out and plan." It wasn't a lie, he had done the same, but over time he had met too many kids who had just walked away without thinking what might be waiting out there for them. "So are mom and dad paying for this?"

She licked salad dressing from her fork, a gesture that made his heart skip a beat. "Half of it, the deal was they would pay half if I saved up at least twenty five hundred dollars before I graduated. That's a lot of babysitting and going with out new clothes and all the trappings for a girl."

He could imagine. "I bet your boyfriends hated you in high school, having to spend dates helping you babysit."

Her eyes glittered with amusement. "Hmm, boys were a no-no for me. I was too involved in reaching my goal. I didn't need the distraction. Which made most of the boys I grew up with all the more determined. It was funny in a way, they knew I was going to turn them down, but they all still asked."

Devlin knew he would have asked. He would have asked her until he wore her down and she accepted simply to shut him up. "So you never have been on an actual date?"

"Nope, not a single one, I always knew there was time for it later, and if there wasn't, well I hear cats make very nice companions." Her amusement was clear; she had worked too hard on her dreams to let herself be distracted.

He understood how she had felt. From the first time he had seen the shiny big rigs on the highways his parents traveled he had wanted to drive one. He had worked hard in school and even harder to make his dream come true. By the time he turned twenty one, he had been able to buy his first rig. At thirty six, he owned more then fifty of them and employed over two hundred people, from receptionists in his Seattle offices to mechanics who were the best in the business. He paid the best wages in the country and each year at least ten percent of his drivers actually bought their rigs outright. He rewarded hard work, but was fast to remove anyone who wasn't doing his or her share. When you owned the best, you expected the best, and that was that.

Still, it had cost him. He hadn't married, hadn't known the joy of a new baby or coming home to a woman after weeks on the road. His own sisters and brothers had fallen in love, raised families, and been happy. He had been little more then a doting uncle who came at birthdays and Christmas loaded with presents for smiling nieces and nephews. More then once he had been asked when he was going to settle down, raise a house full of kids. He had never been able to answer.

Not that it was that he hadn't known women who hoped to tie him down, more then a few had tried, but none had been able to cure the call of the road or replace the feel of a big rig in his hands. There was nothing like hearing a sweet sounding engine or knowing you were in control of sixty thousand pounds of power and steel to make a man feel the biggest rush in his life.

The waitress brought their pizza and he did his best to get out of the lonely mood he had put himself in, and wondered why he should feel lonely tonight. He was sitting across a table from the best looking woman he had seen in a long time, and she was something he had never expected to meet out here, a woman with as much determination and drive as he felt himself. A woman that he hoped he would find in his bed before the night was over, but he wouldn't rush it. He knew instinctively that Reni was not a woman to rush. Like him, she would do things in her own way.

* * *

It was late when they left the pizza parlor, and the air had cooled a bit as they walked back to the truck stop. The sounds around them were those of a hundred other cities around the world, but for Devlin it might have been just the two of them talking and laughing as they walked. Reni had a good sense of humor and she was quick to come back to his quips.

Finally they arrived at the truck stop but before going inside, he looked at her. "So what will you do now? Stay here and try to find a driver headed out tonight?"

She shook her head. "No, probably find a hotel or something nearby, call a cab, and go sleep until I wake up. I know I should rush but I been doing things a certain way for so long that it's just habit."

He could tell she was getting tired; there was no way of knowing how long she had been awake. No, now was not the time for her to find a ride, she might end up making the wrong choice and not live to regret it. "There's a place I stay at when I am in town, let me call and see if they have a room available for you. I can get you the trucker rate."