Editors note: Kylyn Melendez is a guest blogger for NCI and a recent graduate at West Middle School in Liberal, KS. Following an offer from NCI Social Media Director Ed Kentner challenging a college bound student group to write a blog concerning trucking, Kylyn was chosen as the winner. She received a large milk chocolate NCI logo and an Elite Fleet University shirt for her effort.
As I am walking to a friend’s house (yes, surprisingly, I have friends), I passed by this yellow truck. Like I always do I yell “Bingo” even though no one is around. I always pass this amazing truck, but what I notice about it this time was its wheels. I was like “O.M.G.” I mean those wheels were HUGE! If you could only see the rims, they were so shiny and chrome. The color, of the wheel not the tire, blew me away. In contrast, the tire, was a very dark black (if that makes any sense at all). It was like when you get a black crayon from Crayola and just scribble in the same spot until the crayon is gone.
Everything about this truck is fantabulous, except for one thing….the color. It’s a nasty mustard yellow, ugh it makes me want to vomit. No, I don’t have my license or permit, however I still wanted to drive it or at least sit in the driver’s seat. Even though I probably wouldn’t be able to see over the dashboard through the window. Just because you have two left feet when it comes to dancing, it doesn’t stop most people from “shaking” what their momma gave them. The street was empty so I thought I might as well so I bust a few dance moves, after all as a young college bound student I felt it appropriate!
I felt really bad, like what I was doing was wrong. I was having an argument inside my head whether I would drive the truck or not if given a chance. Do you ever get that feeling, you know, it’s like a Devil and an Angel are arguing back and forth on your shoulders? I decided to ask around the neighborhood – I am a good person at heart. I knocked on the closest door and a woman (about 5’5”) answered the door and apparently the truck is hers (to be honest I did not see that coming) and I ask her if I can see inside. I am a tiny person because I am only 14 years old and I haven’t reached five foot tall yet (yes I know it is sad). Getting in the humongous truck would be AMAZING.
She let me in the truck and I thought she would let me turn it on, but she didn’t. I got to go to the back and check that out. There wasn’t anything inside. You would think there were many things inside especially considering the size of the thing). I asked her why (yes, I do tend to ask a lot of questions) and she said she was moving out. I assumed she was moving to another truck so I said, “You are a very independent women, you wait for no man, you go girl!” I felt embarrassed but proud until I found out she was married. We stood there in the awkward silence, but the overall experience was great. She didn’t ask why I wanted to get in the truck, for all I know she could have thought I was a weird girl who wanted to steal her truck!