I got out of the service in 1973 and I took a job driving truck and for the first three years I literally lived in my truck, avoiding contact with ppl outside of the trucking industry. (Keep in mind that at that time Viet Nam vets were primarily treated as just a step or two below illegal aliens).

The company I was driving for was based out of Youngstown, Ohio and on weekends if I wasn't on the road I would park at the truckstop and stay in my truck all weekend, only venturing inside to get something to eat, take a shower or drink coffee and ratchet jaw with other drivers.

At that time the truckstop had an elderly lady named Flo, who was purported to be in her late 60's working as a waitress in the "truckers only". Flo once told me that she began working as a waitress when she was 13yrs old and that is all she had ever done..but I can assure you, there has never been a better waitress before or since. (I have often seen Flo work 26 stools at the counter and 5 boths singlehandedly and still have time to joke with the guys.

One saturday morning I went in for breakfast and there was flo, but instead of wearing the company approved waitress uniform, she had her apron over a cotton house dress, hair still up in curlers, no makeup and wearing a pair of fluffy pink bunny slippers.

While we were sitting there wondering what all that was about the truckstop manager came in for a cup of coffee. When he saw Flo's state of dress he says, "Flo, if you were running late this morning you could have just called and we would have allowed you a little extra time.'

She replied, "I had plenty of time this morning, thank you."

The manager then says, "If you had plenty of time, where is your uniform and whats with them damn curlers?"

Flo turned to him and says, "Its saturday, and most of these drivers did not get home for the weekend, so I thought I would come in like this and make them feel at home!"

Believe me, here it is nearly 40 years later and they are still laughing about that one.