Carlos went to work as usual on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Every day he sat at his desk felt like a fucking grind, but band practice on Wednesday night was something to look forward to. Sweet release.
He wanted nothing more than to be a successful musician, to have millions of guys (and girls, too!) lusting after him 24/7, and to never have to set foot inside an office ever again. If his future amounted to sitting at a desk for the rest of his life, he'd rather be dead.
On Wednesday night, he brought in the skeleton of a new song he'd been working on for the band to learn. The tentative title was "Chunky Trucker Man." The lyrics were highly suggestive, and the rest of the band loved it. The bass player and drummer were immediately all over it, building upon the original idea and making it better. Their other guitarist brought in another new tune, and the same thing happened. The start of two new tunes in one night! Carlos was overjoyed to be in this kind of creative environment -- someone brings a fresh idea, and everyone collaborates to lift it up. It was completely different to his day job experience.
They finished rehearsal, stowed their gear and went out for beers. Carlos knew he'd probably be a little late for work the next morning, but he knew all he had to do was wear tight jeans that showed off his junk, and his boss would go easy.
He hadn't heard from Gorilla for a few days, but this time, he wasn't overly concerned. He felt good about where their last conversation had landed, and if he was worried about anything, it was about how many hours Gorilla logged at the wheel. Gorilla's job sounded like it was way too much. Carlos might hate his desk job, but at least he got to work normal hours and slept in the same bed every night.
Late on Wednesday night after band practice, Carlos's phone pinged. A message from Gorilla. He replied immediately.
Gorilla: hey dude what's up
Carlos: awesome to hear from you
Gorilla: likewise
Carlos: had band practice 2nite, we started writing 2 new tunes
Gorilla: can't wait to hear them!
Carlos: so where you at 2nite
Gorilla: i've been on the road for 3 days since we last msged so how far do you think I could've travelled
Carlos: you drove your truck to antarctica didn't you ... you're feeding penguins right now
Gorilla: haha fuck, i wish
Carlos: they don't have roads in antarctica, right
Gorilla: that's the only thing stopping me
Carlos: ok so I'm gonna assume you're not in ATL because I'd be pissed as fuck if you were here and you were texting me from like 2 blocks away
Gorilla: you'd know for sure if i was in your city
Carlos: ok, so three days from new orleans ... fuck, given the amount of time you spend at the wheel, you could be anywhere
Gorilla: I'm not anywhere, I'm somewhere
Carlos: srsly I got no idea
Gorilla: it doesn't really matter, does it ... after a while, all these places start to look the same ... but for the record, I'm somewhere in arkansas and it's boring as fuck here
Carlos: nothing to do there?
Gorilla: I'm not sayin' I'm up for a big night on the town, I need to drive again tomorrow, but it feels fuckin catatonic
Carlos: that bad, huh
Gorilla: remind me never to move here
Carlos: have u checked scruff you never know there might be some frustrated christian redneck somewhere in the neighbourhood who needs a dick in his ass and a reach-around wet handie ... but if that happens can you send me pics
Gorilla: haha if i had time i'd look into that but like i said i'm on the road again tomorrow ... i just wanted to txt you to see how you're doin
Carlos: doin fine here, but kind of miss u a little
Gorilla: kind of miss u 2
Carlos: ring me?
Carlos's phone rang and he pressed the green button. "Hey, Gorilla."
"Hey rockstar."
"Hahaha I wish I was a fuckin' rockstar! Still climbing the ladder one small rung at a time. Nice to hear your voice," said Carlos.
"Yours too, dude."
"So I'm hearing Arkansas is a bit shit?"
"Yeah ... well, maybe it's OK for the people who live here," replied Gorilla, "but I'd never want to live here myself."
Carlos remembered he had no fucking idea where Gorilla lived, but he was enjoying the mystery of not knowing.
"Ah, well, you won't be there for long. Shipping out tomorrow, you said?"
"Yeah," said Gorilla, "heading to Montgomery tomorrow. The weather forecast is good."
"Maybe you'll get some ass there. Here's my tip. Check the apps before you leave, that way you might have someone lined up when you arrive."
"Yeah ... that's what I do sometimes," Gorilla admitted, "but I don't know if I want to do that anymore."
"Why?" asked Carlos.
Gorilla didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he asked one of his own. "Hey dude, are you free on the weekend?"
Carlos had a few things planned, but he was curious. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, because I start tracking back east after this, and by Friday sundown I should be pulling into Jacksonville. If you can get yourself free on Friday and get a ticket on a Greyhound, I could meet you there."
"You're not coming back through Atlanta? I thought we were a transport hub."
"There are lots of transport hubs all over the country. Why do you think I'm on the road so often? If it was that straightforward, I'd probably be a train driver instead. I'll be in Montgomery tomorrow night, but I was thinking if you could make it to Florida, we could make a few days of it."