DRIVING HOME

I climbed in my truck and boy did it hurt. I just sat there for a few minutes resting my body and trying to build up enough nerve to start the motor. My truck was a stick shift which meant I had to shift a clutch. I really wasn't looking for ward to that. I tightened my nerves and stretched forward to turn the key and I have never felt so much pain in all my life. It ran from the small of my back down both legs. It was like a million, billion red hot needles poking me at the same time. I had to be tough. I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot and on to the side road. I drove down 14Th street because there were fewer stop lights. it was a straight line to G street. There would be four signal lights on 14Th and six on G street. I tried to adjust my driving speed according to the lights. I was not very good at it because I hit nine out of ten. I was hurting so bad I began to sweat and by the time I was turning off G street my lower back and legs were shaking out of control. It was like they were in control of me. I turned off G onto Bear Creek and I told myself it was time to pull over and just cry. The way I was feeling if a car jacker would of tried to take my truck they could of just shot me and get me out of my misery. I did finally make it home. I pulled up into the drive way and boy did it ever feel good to stand up. I was still in pain but it was a different kind of pain. It's kind of when you try to hit a nail with a hammer and you hit your finger instead and then you try to hit the nail again and you hit another finger. They both hurt but in a different way. I made my way to the front door and as I opened it I was greated by my three sons. Each trying to get in closer for a big hug. As they reached and grabbed at me to get a hug it hurt, boy did it hurt, but it also felt really, really good too. There is nothing greater in this world that having your child wrap their arms around you and saying they love you and missed you. Children can heal all wounds.

Two sitting and one standing

I had parked my company vehicle and grabbed my route book and order sheets and headed for the office. Bob and Spike were standing in the front lobby waiting for me. I walked in and gave them both a big hello and to my surprise I did not get a greeting back. After a few seconds Bob spoke up with a how ya doing but was interrupted by Spike asking me what the hell happened to you that you would come in so late? I guess the way I was walking really didn't give him any idea that I was in pain or the way I would periodically give out a painful groan. I told him what had happened at Starr market. How we we short handed that day so I really didn't have a choice of driving bach to the plant after I was injured. I was devoted to my work,, I was not a quitter.There was a job to be done and I had to do it. He was pissed off at me but really had nothing he could do about it. I went to my office and did my paperwork. It took me close to an hour to get my route drivers orders set up for Friday. Because tomorrow was thanksgiving the plant would be closed. It just meant extra work for me. I was in alot of pain so I was irritated to start with and knowing Spike was going to jump my ass for getting hurt I was not a happy person. I finally finished up with the sales sheets and headed for the front lobby to file an accident report. I asked Bob for an accident report. He went to a large filing cabinet and begun ti look. I was informed by Spike that they wanted to head home and that this could all wait till Friday. He said lets give it a day or two and maybe I would be good as new. I insisted that I had to have them and needed to fill them out now. I was once again told that it could wait that it was no big deal, that by Friday I would be all better and that then we would have just waisted their time. They needed to get home to their family and that I had kept them there way to long and i was waisting all three of our time. I told Spike to either give me the accident forms or i was going to call Coca-Cola in Atlanta and file a formal complaint against him for neglect of a injured employee. Well I guess i got his attention because Bob pulled the forms out of the filing cabinet and handed them to me. I took the forms to my office and filled them out. They were all relatively easy to complete. I had Bob look over them to assure all was filed out correctly and once they were okayed I handed them to Spike for his signature. I handed them to him and with a smirk on his face be gain to look them over. I guess he was trying to be a jerk because it seemed to take him forever to read them. When he was finished he took his pen and signed them. He then handed them back to me and i signed them too. I then made a major mistake. I walked over to the copy machine to make myself a copy . You would have thought I commit ed a crime. I was told that I could not make any copies, that one would be sent to me. They stood there and were making up so many dumb excuses why I couldn't make copies that I was done and they didn't even know it. As I headed for the door i told Spike I was going to go home and take it easy for the next few days and see how I felt on Friday . I would be at work not to worry. We would see what Friday has in order. I then left the building, got in my car and carefully drove home.

Can't walk but must keep working

The pain I felt from my lower back was unreal. It was like I had been hit in the lower back with a red hot base ball bat. I loved watching the Oakland A's base ball. Ricky Henderson, Jose Conseco, Mark Maguire, Dave Henderson, Mike Guyago, Carney Lansford. They were big league players and big league hitters. It was like Dave Henderson had a three -two count, bases loaded, bottom of the ninth. The entire stadium was on its feet. The Dodgers pitcher, lets call him....pine tar.. winds up and throws a 98 mile an hour fast ball.micro seconds before it crosses the outside edge of the plate Dave swings.. He connects.. The ball flies over the center field upper deck bleachers and lands in the parking lot...BUT... in my case he didn't connect with the ball.. He swung straight on and into the center of my BACK...Unreal the pain... It seemed an eternity until I was able to stand. I had sweat beading down my face. The pain was so great my body shook. I was like a drunk that needed a drink. I was hurting so bad but I had to finish merchandising the store. Each step I took was taking draining me. I was in agony. I finally finished filling everything and wrote an order for Fridays delivery. I was headed for my truck and decided I should call the plant and inform them that I had hurt myself . I was talking to Spike, the plant manager. I told him that I still had to drive to Los Banos, which is about fourtyfive minutes away from where I was. I had three chain stores to merchandise there and write orders for Friday. Then I had four small mom and pop accounts. To finish all these accounts it would take a major part of the day. Then I still had a fourty minute drive back to Merced to the barn. Once there I had about an hour of paper work and then head home by around 5:30pm... Things were not going to happen like that... I did drive to Los Banos, merchandise and write the orders for the three chain stores along with the four small mom and pop stores. I drove back to Merced in a laying position. I felt every bump,dip and curve in the road. I arrived back at the plant at around 7 pm. All the route drivers had already been there and left along with the merchandisers and route salesmen. It was Spike, Bob and myself.

Starr Market

I drove to the small city of Atwater to my next account. Its a large store sitting just off the northern exit of highway 99. like I said it was the day before turkey day, everything being on sale, the store was totally wiped out of product. All the shelves, displays and coolers were empty. I was not paid to merchandise stores. I was paid to sell Coca-Cola. I was good at it, Well actually I was very good at it. I was told once by the plant manager of Pepsi-Cola that I could sell ice to and Eskimo. I believed in what I was doing so I did my job very well. So... I started the manual labor job of filling shelves, coolers, vista coolers, racks and displays. I would write down on a piece of paper what I needed to fill a rack walk to the back of the store, go through the back room to a storage filled with different beverages. Pepsi, Coke, 7-up, and all kinds of beer. Once to my produce I had to lift product onto a cart and then make my way back to the front of the store and make placement. It was about my fifth trip and I was running behind the clock. It was about 11:30 and I still had a full day ahead of me. I had climbed over a pallet of cans and was standing in a very small space. I mean it was small. I really didn't have enough room to turn around in. I needed 2 liter mt dew bottles. They were berried in the corner just out of my reach. I had a heck of a time digging out cans trying to make a hole big enough so I could get them out. After a lot of effort I was finally able to start pulling 2 liters. I had to reach out and over in a ockward way that placed me off ballance. I was now lifting with my arms and back rather than my legs. I was in a hurry. I needed the product. The shelves had to be filled. I had more stores that needed me that day. What could happen? Well.. It did happen.. I bent down to pick up a case of eight 2 liters. Weight.. Maybe twenty five pounds.. Well because I was off ballance, reaching incorrectly and lifting something to heavy for me in that possition. I grabbed the case with both hands and with a mighty jurk. It happened. I felt a pain. Not just a pain. It was the father of pain. A fathers, faters pain. I dropped the mt dew and hit the ground. I couldn't move. I had a pain running from the small of my back dowwn both legs and stopping in my big toes. I began to perspire. SWEAT. I have never felt so much pain in one spot before. I thought I as going to die. I was actually wanting to die at this point. I felt like I was falling apart. I layed partly on the ground and partly over cases of soda. I was in a very bad spot. I lay there for about ten minutes resting trying to build up enough streangth and courage to bring myself to a standing possition so I could finish merchandising and write an order for Fridays delivery. Also known of as Black Friday.

The day before Thanksgiving 1989

I awoke on Wednesday morning at 6:30 like I did every morning. I went for a quick swim in my pool, showered and left for a fun filled day at the office. I was a route salesman for Coca Cola in Merced, Ca. It was the day before Thanksgiving so it was going to be a very busy day. I arrived at about 8 am and was met by Bob who was the plant office manager. He informed me that one of my merchandisers had called in sick so I be short handed and would need to make sure all my major grocery stores were covered. I assured him it would not be a problem. Once all the rought drivers were checked out and had all left the barn I had a short sales meeting with the other salesmen and the plant manager. In my opinion it was all crap because I was a great salesman and really didn't need any help doing my job. I was able to leave the barn by about 9:30 and made my way to my first stop. It was the largest chain store in Merced. Savemarket. It was a huge account for me. I was paid comission for every case of soda I sold so it was very important for me to get the most from this store. I was able to sell them a truck load of 12 ounce cans the day before so I was waiting for the semi truck to show up it. That's a total of twenty four pallets which is 2304 cases. that's almost $350.dollars in my pocket for ten minutes work. I had to be at the store to tell the semi driver where the cases were suppose to be stored. I waited for about twenty minutes and late as usual Bill showed up. He made all his norman excuses on the loader, the truck and traffic. I instructed him on where I wanted the cases stored and to also help Robert, the merchandiser I borrowed from Tommy, build a thousand case mega display in the front lobby of the store. Having full confidence that all the shelves and coolers would be stocked and the display built I left for my second stop.