IDLE HANDS, FRIENDS, AND MUD

We have spent the entire afternoon at the Atlanta OC. Our starter ignited the engine for the last time, this morning. My co-driver chose not to wake me when he turned the truck over to the company mechanics. I got all the sleep I needed before I quietly stowed my gear and climbed out of the truck. It's against policy to be in the truck while repairs are being performed. The problem was that work was NOT being performed. I checked on the truck periodically, throughout the afternoon into the evening. I passed the time playing Solitaire, writing emails, and watching television.

   I casually noticed on Facebook, that my friends, Peter & Brenda Abraham, were planning to be in town this evening. After another trip to the shop to see how progress on my truck was going, I navigated my way through the parts room, to the service desk. After I turned the corner, I looked up and saw a familiar face - Peter Abraham! He had just sent me a text message that he was on the property. I hadn't looked at it yet. Yet, here we were! What a fantastic coincidence! He and his wife are owner-operators, from Illinois. I met Peter at a customer's facility in Denver a couple of years ago. We have maintained contact, and developed friendship ever since.
  Peter needed a yard driver to pull the only remaining empty trailer out of the mud, on the back side of the property. The tires had sunken a foot down into the grass and soil. He knew it would be impossible to retrieve the trailer with his own tractor.

  After the service advisor dispatched a mechanic to retrieve the trailer for Peter, it was my turn to ask for assistance. I have to be rolling at 10pm to pick up my load by 11pm. They hadn't touched my truck yet. The new starter was laying on the floor, next to my truck. Understanding my urgency, the service advisor pulled a mechanic from another project to get my truck road-ready as soon as possible. We might make on-time pick up, yet.
  With my business well underway, I walked around a few bends of the property to find Peter & Brenda. The yard driver had hooked onto their empty trailer, and his wheels were spinning. He made  a few feet of progress, then lost all traction. He backed up several times, plopping the trailer wheels back into the nasty mire, and yanking it out again at full throttle. He turned the steering wheel side to side, searching for a path for the drive tires to take ahold of. Mud coated the trailer's landing legs as he eventually made enough progress to struggle against the curb lip that separated the grass from the asphalt. It was too dark out, to get a decent picture of the show. After several minutes of struggle, the yard driver set the 53 foot box down for my friends to hook onto. We marvelled at the muddy trailer,  shook hands and went our separate ways, until our next chance-encounter.