lucyoncolorado

In which my breath stinks...

Just a fragment:

I'm riding in the cab of a heavy work truck of some sort. I'm sitting in the middle of a long front seat between the driver and a passenger. The control panel with the stickshift gears is at my knees, and we're crowded. We are going through a rural mountainous landscape on a bad road. The drive is slow and difficult. Both men are dirty with sweat and heavy labour. They have bulging muscles and I feel tiny between them.

I say something to the passenger. He reaches into his work bag and pulls out a small green pack of spearmint gum and offers one to me. I'm keenly aware that I have horrrible coffee breath, so I accept the gum and try not to talk too much.

"I'm sorry," I tell them, "but I just can't stay awake on these roads without any coffee."

I know it must be horrible to be stuck in a crowded place with someone who has stinky breath, but these guys are too tough to complain about it.