When we last heard from Lindsey, she and Hank had just broken up. They had met shortly after they'd each been through a divorce. For a while, they had it all.
"We were socially active," says Lindsey, "a professional couple with grown children and a healthy sex life." Then, Hank started spending two nights a week at a health club. Except it wasn't a health club; it was gay bathhouse.
"Here I was, wearing an engagement ring from a man who was cheating on me. I was stuck. My name was on a mortgage with him," Lindsey says. Eventually, the stress became intolerable, and Lindsey collapsed at work. Four months later, she sold Hank her share of their condo and moved to Colorado. When she arrived, she weighed 84 pounds.
That was where her tale ended. But Lindsey would like to share the story of her trip.
She says: "When I finally left Hank, I packed whatever would fit into my mid-life crisis car — a retro Mustang — and headed west for the Rockies. I dodged storms for the majority of the trip. I managed to lead a line of semis for 20 miles through two ruts in the snow. When we all finally made it to a truck stop, I slid to a stop. I was met by hugs from many of the drivers. That roadside truck stop became my home for the next 24 hours. It was the most interesting day of my life.
"I ended up staying that night in the truckers lounge with a bed made out of a blanket I kept in my car and my jacket for a pillow. Around 2 am, I was awakened by a fellow who said that the Mustang needed to be moved. I pulled the keys out of my jacket and held them out to him. He said, 'No way. That car is worth 40G's. I'm not moving it.' I got up and moved the car, came back to the truck stop, slammed a few beers, laid back down and went to sleep.
"An hour later, another trucker came along with a fleece blanket to cover me. In the morning I got up to find the highway would be opened in an hour, so I gathered my belongings, folded up the blanket and searched for the fellow who covered me. He wouldn't take it back. He simply said, 'Take it with you into your new life and remember this day.'
"Well, it's soon going to be four years since that day. My heart has healed from the breaking, but I will never forget the kindness of those truckers. They insisted that I be the first one to pull out when the highway was opened.
"Through the internet, I've been able to keep in touch with those wonderful people. That blanket — I pull it out every winter. It's warm and pretty, but that's nothing compared to the emotions connected to it.
"Sometimes we don't appreciate that the relationships we have with our fellow man can be wonderful. I no longer shed tears over my ex, but I sure wish I could have another breakfast with that great group of people who weathered more than just a blizzard with me four years ago!"
Is it really always darkest before the dawn? Send your tale, along with your questions and rants to [email protected]. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not.
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