Parable Road 14 (Sowing & Reaping)

“Drive faster idiot!”

A car races by honking as the leather-clad passenger yells and shakes their fist at me. A moment later, a siren starts up as a police car chases after them.

“You reap what you sow,” the old saying runs through my mind as I continue to weave this big rig through the maze of traffic.

Traffic on the 401 highway is crazy at the best of times and today isn’t one of the best of them.

I can see the famous CN tower in the distance. It makes a beautiful picture, silhouetted in the light of early morning. It’s a place I wouldn’t mind visiting sometime but it won’t be today. I’ve got to get this load into the terminal.

We’re in danger of being late as it is.

I pass the car that just raced by me. It is sitting on the side of the road. A police officer is walking toward it with an angry expression on his face.

“How’s things going?” Jason says as he pushes aside the curtain separating the cab from the bunk area.

“Well, it’s been a bit rough, but we’re almost there.”

“Good.” Jason takes a seat and runs a comb through his tousled brown hair.

“Expecting someone special at the terminal?”

“No, I just don’t want to have a bedhead when we go in to see the boss.”

“He wanted a meeting?”

“She did actually. Somebody must’ve called us in for poor driving.”

I see the plain brick building in the distance. We’re almost there. I start shifting down. “What did I miss? You’ve been doing a great job.”

“Well, it must’ve been while you were sleeping. There were some people parked in the middle of the road, taking pictures of a moose in the forest.”

“Tourists.”

“Yeah, you know how they are. Oblivious to the world around them. I blew the hair horn when I went by. It didn’t seem like they appreciated it.”

“Huh. So, they called you in?”

“That’s the only thing I can think of. I could see them in the rearview mirror yelling and shaking their fists. They were pretty mad.”

“Well, we’ll see pretty soon I guess.”

“I can’t wait.” Jason laughs.

We pull into the large parking lot of the terminal. I look for the loading docks, spotting them, I guide the truck toward it.

Before we know it, the trailer is backed in and it’s time to report to the office.

“You ready for this?” I say with a laugh.

Jason checks himself in the mirror one more time. “Yep.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll probably be fine.”

“It’s just that it’s my first trip, so, I’d rather not get fired right away.”

“I’ll stick up for you.”

“Thanks.”

It doesn’t take that long to walk from our truck and trailer to the terminal. As we enter the plain building we are greeted by the racket of conveyor belts and forklifts.

A businesslike woman marches toward us. She could be beautiful if she didn’t look so stern. She purses her lips and points at an office door.

Well, we’ve been told!

We walk toward it as ordered. As we enter the office, she closes the door behind us.

A young couple is sitting at the desk. Rich and fashionable by the look of it. A sophisticated pair.

They swivel their office chairs toward us as one unit and begin speaking.

“You almost hit us!” The young woman snaps.

“You were in the middle of the road!” Jason retorts.

“Maybe so, but you should’ve been watching for us,” the young man proclaims.

“Well, I could say the same to you!”

“Do you know who I am?” The young man rises from his seat and sticks an accusing finger in Jason’s face. “I could see to it that you lose your license for good!”

“Oh really?” Jason seems to be struggling to keep his cool. “You still shouldn’t have been parked in the middle of the highway!”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough!” The woman who serves as our manager turns her attention toward me. “What do you have to say about this Ben?”

“I’m not sure. I was sleeping at the time. But, I do know that Jason here is a good driver. He wouldn’t drive recklessly.”

“That’s good enough for me,” the manager says.

The young man looks horrified. “You’re just going to take his word for it?”

“Yes, I am.”

“But…but…do you have any idea who I am?” The young man sputters as his face grows ever more crimson.

“No. I just know that you shouldn’t have been parked in the middle of the highway.”

“I can’t believe this. I’ve never been so poorly treated in my life.” The young man sits himself at the desk and is comforted by his significant other.

“Ben,” the manager says as she turns her attention toward me. “Do you know who I am?”

I think a minute then reply. “No. I can’t say that I do.”

“I’m Stephanie.”

“Stephanie?”

“Yes, I was the woman you introduced to Margaret.”

“Margaret…Margaret…That lonely woman on the street?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“My goodness. That’s a while back. How did it go?”

“Good. Really good. Without her advice, I wouldn’t have packed everything up and moved here to Toronto.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I needed someone like her. I didn’t realize it but I did and I owe it all to you Ben.”

“Well, now, I don’t know about that, I…”

“Don’t be so modest. You reap what you sow and today you reaped some of that harvest. I would’ve written you up if I didn’t know you and what kind of person you are. ” With that, Stephanie turns from me to the angry young people sitting at her desk. “That’s something you might want to think about.”

“You’ll be hearing from my father, that’s all I have to say.” The young man rises to his feet. “Come on Carmelle, we have better things to do than talk to these idiots.”

With that, they are gone and the office is silent.

I clear my throat. “He’s going to talk to his father. Should we be worried?”

Stephanie laughs and shakes her head. “No, his father may own the company but his father told me in no uncertain terms that if his son came into my office one more time, he’d kick him out of the family business.”

“Really?”

“Well, well, well,” Jason shakes head. “I guess Junior will have to do some work for a change.”

Stephanie nods. “I would think so.”

Jason smiles. “That’s good news, isn’t it?”

“For us, anyway,” I say.

Jason lets out a laugh. “Let’s go, Ben. I’ll buy breakfast. Then, we’ll see what other trouble we can get into.”

“Alright. Um. Are you done with us, Stephanie?”

“Yes, that’s all I had to say.”

I turn to Jason. “Well, then, let’s go.”

“It was good to see you again Ben,” Stephanie says as we prepare to leave.

“You too,” I reply.

On that note, we head out into the crisp air of autumn. Who knows what will happen on the trip back home?

To be continued…