Page 20 - Italian-American Herald - July 2023

20 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | JULY2023 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
IT’S ALL GOOD
Life in the fast lane: Three types of experiences behind the wheel
By Charlie Sacchetti
The other day, I had the distinct pleasure of having breakfast with five of my buddies from our old Southwest Philly
neighborhood. Duringourpre-mealbanter, one of the guys mentioned how bad traffic has become in the vicinity of his current homeinNewJersey. Mymindimmediately flashed back to those many years I spent as an outside salesman and manager which required me to drive thousands of miles per yeartofulfilmyobligations. Ontheroad,
I experienced situations and events that I’ve remembered and discussed on lots of occasions.
I can classify many of these driving experiences into three major categories: Aggravating, Funny, and Exciting.
It’s not too difficult to recall the aggravatingtrips. Oneofmyfavoriteswas the time I had to drive to Elkton Virginia, to visitaMerckPharmaceuticalplant. Iwas seeking to provide a new polyurethane floor coating we had developed, and that was currently in use at their facility in West Point, Pa. Thetripshouldhavetakenaboutfive hoursfrommyhomeinCinnaminson. Upon myarrivalattheKingofPrussiaentranceto the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I immediately joinedawestboundstandstilltrafficjam. As thecarscrawledalong,Idecidedtotunemy radio to KYW-AM to get the traffic report
and see what was causing the problem. When the report came on, I cringed at what was said by the reporter who described the problem while uttering the three words that all outside salesmen both feared and hated:
Roving PennDOT crew!
Whenever you heard this phrase, you knew your drive time was going to be both
extended and miserable. Sure enough, after we inched our way for a mile or so, squeezing into the only lane that was open due to the strategically placed 200 traffic cones, I saw two workers leaning on their truck enjoying thesunshineandtheircoffee. Iguessthey appreciated my dirty look because they just smiledatme. TheRovingPennDOTCrew claims another victim!
Another one of my favorites recurs just about every day in almost every residential neighborhood. Ihavebeenvictimizedmany timesbychattyschoolbusdrivers. Itusually happens when I am just about home and have to drive through several developments. Please understand that I love kids, and think it is a very cute thing to see them get onto andoffoftheirbuses. Butafterthekidgets off, must the mother or father start up a conversationwiththedriver? Howabouta quickgoodbyeorthankyou? Imustconfess that I have given them a “let’s break it up” beeportwo. Thatusuallygetsmeadirty look but I usually don’t smile back like those seasoned veterans at PennDOT!
As far as humor is concerned, I can’t help but laugh at a situation I was involved in justrecently. WhiledrivingnorthonNew Jersey Route 130, a major highway in our area, I happened to be following a dump truck that was probably hauling debris from a construction site. On the back of the truck wasasignthatread,“ConstructionVehicle DoNotFollow.” Maybetheconstruction company had something against me and wanted me to turn around and go back from whenceIcame? AftersomedeliberationI ruled that out and had just enough common sense not to take the sign literally. Still I feel badly for those poor souls who choose to look around for someone else to follow in order to comply with the sign’s command!
Regarding the excitement aspect, of all my sales trips, one stands out above all. I was into my third year of sales which would have been in 1985. I was driving to a farm,
Slow-moving construction vehicle: The bane of motorists everywhere.
After we inched our way for a mile or so, squeezing into the only lane that was open, I saw two workers leaning on their truck enjoying the sunshine and their coffee.
justoutsideofNorristown,Pa.,about20 milesfrommyhomeinDrexelHill,Pa. I had intended to demonstrate a degreaser which could be used to clean the farmer’s tractorsandotherequipment. Iwasgiven this“lead”byanexistingcustomerwhowas thecousinofthefarmer. Mycustomertold me all about the farm and what the farmer grew, his family and a whole lot of other stuff. Hedid,however,leaveoutonedetailthatI wish he hadn’t and this was the source of the excitement.
As I pulled into the farm’s driveway, I noticed a long cable about 8 feet off the ground and stretched for about 50 yards parallel to the driveway. As I went to open my trunk to get my product, I heard a somewhat squeaky noise behind me. As I turned around, I saw the biggest barking Rottweiler God had ever created, and the pooch was attached to the cable via a long leash that allowed him to run the entire length. Bynowhewasabout25yardsfrom
meandheadedmyway. Ibarelymadeit intomygreen1978ChevyMalibu,jumping inside while rolling up the window just before the monster got up on his hind legs andputhismassivefrontpawsuponmy door. Idecidedtolettheol’farmerfind anotherwaytocleanhisequipmentbecauseI took off like a driver in the Indy 500.
I used to like watching the old TV show “Route66.” Thosetwoguyshadadifferent adventure every week as they traveled the country in their spiffy Corvette.
But they never had to deal with an 8-foot Rottweiler! IAH
Charlie Sacchetti is the author of three books, “It’s All Good: Times and Events I’d Never Want to Change;” “Knowing He’s There: True Stories of God’s Subtle Yet Unmistakable Touch,” andhisnewest, “Savoringthe Moments: True Stories of Happiness, Sadness andEverythinginBetween.” Contacthimat worthwhilewords21@gmail.com.