Butte La Rose et Les Entourage

Bonjour!
I remember running somewhere on one of the Florida highways one day going make a delivery somewhere south when there came these truckers on their CB radios talking about a special Cajun Day salad bar at a 76 truck stop ahead of me. I got into their conversation for info about what sort of Cajun food was on this menu. They replied they’d cooked gumbo, rice, potato salad French bread a few other food stuffs and said I’d like the bread pudding they’d had for desert. I asked them had they eaten any gumbo and how was the taste? And they said it was OK. They were going the opposite direction and before too long they were out of hearing range so I did not get to ask any more questions.
But I’d decided to stop by that truck stop because I needed to fuel up anyhow. My thoughts were of this delicious gumbo that was ahead waiting for me. Wow, that would be like home-away-from-home.
As I hammered down in that direction I chatted with a couple more truckers going my way and asked them if they’d heard about the Cajun Day cooking up the road. They said all they’d heard of it was what those other truckers had said to me.
So after I’d run a hundred miles or so I got to the 76 truck stop exit. I’d been there before so I was familiar with the area. I pulled my old blue Freightliner cab-over up in there and made my way to the fuel isle. I had that gumbo in my tummy on my mind. I pulled the diesel nozzle out and stuck it in the tank and began fueling up the two tanks. I think those tanks held 150 gallons each. Then I got my hammer out walked around and bumped the eighteen tires all around the truck and tank to make sure none were flat. Checked other equipment around the rig, checking the placards making sure all was secure, gotta check everything just in case DOT pulls me over at the chicken coop (weigh station). I did not rush what I was doing because the gumbo was not going anywhere and I knew they’d cooked enough for all the truckers in Kalamazoo. Joke!
While I was still standing at the fuel pump another one of our company drivers was walking by as he was leaving came by to say hey to me. I asked him did he eat the Cajun cooked food. He replied yes but it ain’t like what we cook back home. A bell should have rung!
After I shut down on the fuel isle I went inside and signed my fuel ticket. Then I pulled the truck out back to the parking lot and got in a comfortable spot because I still had my log book to update. I was listening to my AM radio while doing my paperwork. With that done I packed my bag and uniform and went back inside to take advantage of the free shower that comes with the fuel up. Mais non, I had not forgotten the gumbo that awaited me inside.
My Tina knows I like Sand and Sable cologne so she always made sure I had some with me. After showering and with the cologne, I’d always go walk around the truck stop restaurants to let a little of my cologne linger there to remind these hard leg truckers there was a lady trucker amongst them. Me!
Ah! Finally there I stood before the salad bar. I walked a couple of circles around it looking for the gumbo pot. I did not see it or the rice pot either. I was wondering where had I missed it.
Cajun Cookie Part Two next week.
Hammer down!

–Cousine Hélène
337-228-1714
helenboudreaux@juno.com