again. And despiteher career stature, she never made me feel any
less
of a man. The guys at the job were assuming that Denise and I were oil and water, and that we couldn’t go the distance. It was an assumption that I was out to change.
I looked over at Larry and asked him, “What are you thinking, Larry, that I can’t hold my own up against this woman? Is that it? Because if that’s the case, then I got news for you, young blood. I’m not going anywhere, and she ain’t either,” I told him.
He smiled. “Are you sure about that?”
I revved up my engine and got ready for our three-day, two-night run to Florida, Arkansas, and back up to Illinois. “You damn right I’m sure,” I told him. “It’s just like you said; I’ve been with her long enough to know, right?”
He nodded to me, still grinning.
“Well, there you have it then,” I said, blowing my horn to clear out our path. The shipping and receiving docks in Cicero were always busy with truck traffic.
Larry chuckled and stared out the window as we began to pull off. He just wouldn’t wipe that damn smile off his face. He made it seem as if he knew something that I didn’t. I got so concerned about Larry’s opinions on the class issue that I refused to let the conversation die.
I said, “Hey, man, what the hell is wrong with you young bloods and sisters who make their own money anyway? Don’t you realize that the more money
they
make, the less you have to break
your
neck? I mean, does that make any kind of sense to you guys?”
“It
would
make sense if it worked that way, but it don’t,” Larry responded.
“What do you mean,
‘it don’t’?
” I had an idea of what he meant, I just wanted to hear him explain it for himself.
He said, “It seems like the more money
they
make, the more you
have
to make.”
I nodded my head and smiled. Larry was telling me exactly what I knew already: the young bloods were scared to death of the challenge. “Larry, you know how much you can make as a truck driver?”
“A lot more than what some of these so-called
corporate
sisters make. Just because they work in a tall building and wear a damn suit and stockings don’t mean that they make all that much.”
“Exactly. So why are you so concerned about how much money you’re
supposed
to be making, when you already
know
that you can make more than they do.”
“I
do
make more than they do. Most of them, at least.”
I shook my head and pitied him. I couldn’t imagine anymore that I was once so young and petrified by successful women myself. I said, “Larry, it’s all in the mind. The more secure you feel about yourself, the less you worry about competing with a woman’s income.”
“I’m just saying though, Brock. I mean, I meet a lot of women nowadays, and the first thing that comes out their mouth is, ‘Oh, I got my MCA from this university, and my Ph.D. from that university, and I studied with so and so and worked for such and such company’ and on and on. You know what I mean, man? Nobody wants to hear all of that shit!”
“And nor do
they
want to hear, ‘Baby, my dick is a size nine, I can screw for three straight hours, and I can lift a woman over my shoulders thirty times.’”
Larry broke out laughing. “Are you
sure
they don’t want to hear that, brother?”
I smiled and thought about it. “Actually, a few of them might,” I added with a chuckle. “But what I’m trying to say here, Larry, is that you can’t let these women scare you away when they start talking about their degrees and whatnot. That’s just their way of telling you who they are, so you don’t go in there thinking that they’re gonna put up with no bullshit. And the proper term,
I believe
, is M-
B
-A.”
Larry calmed down for a minute. He knew that I was right.
He looked over and said, “They still treat you like shit when they find out that you don’t have any of them damn degrees that they got. You ever been to college?” he asked me.
I
less
of a man. The guys at the job were assuming that Denise and I were oil and water, and that we couldn’t go the distance. It was an assumption that I was out to change.
I looked over at Larry and asked him, “What are you thinking, Larry, that I can’t hold my own up against this woman? Is that it? Because if that’s the case, then I got news for you, young blood. I’m not going anywhere, and she ain’t either,” I told him.
He smiled. “Are you sure about that?”
I revved up my engine and got ready for our three-day, two-night run to Florida, Arkansas, and back up to Illinois. “You damn right I’m sure,” I told him. “It’s just like you said; I’ve been with her long enough to know, right?”
He nodded to me, still grinning.
“Well, there you have it then,” I said, blowing my horn to clear out our path. The shipping and receiving docks in Cicero were always busy with truck traffic.
Larry chuckled and stared out the window as we began to pull off. He just wouldn’t wipe that damn smile off his face. He made it seem as if he knew something that I didn’t. I got so concerned about Larry’s opinions on the class issue that I refused to let the conversation die.
I said, “Hey, man, what the hell is wrong with you young bloods and sisters who make their own money anyway? Don’t you realize that the more money
they
make, the less you have to break
your
neck? I mean, does that make any kind of sense to you guys?”
“It
would
make sense if it worked that way, but it don’t,” Larry responded.
“What do you mean,
‘it don’t’?
” I had an idea of what he meant, I just wanted to hear him explain it for himself.
He said, “It seems like the more money
they
make, the more you
have
to make.”
I nodded my head and smiled. Larry was telling me exactly what I knew already: the young bloods were scared to death of the challenge. “Larry, you know how much you can make as a truck driver?”
“A lot more than what some of these so-called
corporate
sisters make. Just because they work in a tall building and wear a damn suit and stockings don’t mean that they make all that much.”
“Exactly. So why are you so concerned about how much money you’re
supposed
to be making, when you already
know
that you can make more than they do.”
“I
do
make more than they do. Most of them, at least.”
I shook my head and pitied him. I couldn’t imagine anymore that I was once so young and petrified by successful women myself. I said, “Larry, it’s all in the mind. The more secure you feel about yourself, the less you worry about competing with a woman’s income.”
“I’m just saying though, Brock. I mean, I meet a lot of women nowadays, and the first thing that comes out their mouth is, ‘Oh, I got my MCA from this university, and my Ph.D. from that university, and I studied with so and so and worked for such and such company’ and on and on. You know what I mean, man? Nobody wants to hear all of that shit!”
“And nor do
they
want to hear, ‘Baby, my dick is a size nine, I can screw for three straight hours, and I can lift a woman over my shoulders thirty times.’”
Larry broke out laughing. “Are you
sure
they don’t want to hear that, brother?”
I smiled and thought about it. “Actually, a few of them might,” I added with a chuckle. “But what I’m trying to say here, Larry, is that you can’t let these women scare you away when they start talking about their degrees and whatnot. That’s just their way of telling you who they are, so you don’t go in there thinking that they’re gonna put up with no bullshit. And the proper term,
I believe
, is M-
B
-A.”
Larry calmed down for a minute. He knew that I was right.
He looked over and said, “They still treat you like shit when they find out that you don’t have any of them damn degrees that they got. You ever been to college?” he asked me.
I
Similar Books
