Flat Stacey Hits The Showers

When Flat Stacey and I are out on the road, we often spend the night at what’s called a truck stop. These are places that have a building where you can buy everything you need. There are also restrooms and usually a restaurant, sometimes two. Truck stops come in all sizes. Just like there are different stores where you shop, there are different brands of truck stops. Some of the names are Pilot Travel Centers, Flying J, Travel Centers of America and Petro Stopping Centers. Some are owned by individuals and have their own unique name.  Most of the truck stops on the east coast are too small and it can be hard to find a place to park if you are not there early enough. 

When I was in school to become a truck driver, I was intimidated by truck stops. One time after class, I hopped in a car with some classmates and we went to a nearby truck stop so that we could have dinner in the restaurant.  Our driver made a wrong turn and we accidentally ended up in the area where the trucks park. There we were, in the dark, with huge trucks all over the place. They looked even bigger from our small automobile. I started freaking out and yelling different things like, “Get us out of here! This is terribly scary!” The people in the car laughed at me and suggested that I reconsider doing something else other than trucking. That was not an option at the time. I calmed down and tried to tell myself that once I was an official truck driver, I would never go to a truck stop. 

When I got my first truck, I tried to stay away from truck stops at first. Over time as I became more comfortable with the world of trucking, I slowly became comfortable going to them. Now, they are like a home away from home. One of the most important services they offer is showers. I like to be clean, so almost every night if I won’t be home I usually stop in at a truck stop, get a shower then stay for the night. Showers range in price from ten to thirteen dollars depending on which store you are at. Almost all the time, they are free for me and other truckers. If we buy at least fifty gallons of fuel, we have a rewards card that automatically give us credit for one shower free of charge. Fifty gallons of fuel is not hard to add to a truck as the tanks hold almost four times as much. Even the small amount required to get a free shower can cost just over two hundred dollars, so it is nice that we get something for free (even though my company picks up the tab for the fuel.)

Flat Stacey and I stopped at a Petro Stopping center located in Dupont, Pennsylvania about two weeks ago. (Dupont is near Scranton which lies in the northern part of the state.)  She was curious as to what a truck stop shower was like, so I took her inside so she could see. After all, I had no idea what to expect when I first became a truck driver-  It worried me that it was a big room like in school, and all the truck drivers would have to take showers together. Luckily it is not the case. (If I let all my concerns about everything that driving a truck entailed outside of driving, I might not have ever become a truck driver! There are some days that I wish I would have scared myself out of it, but that’s an entirely different story.)

I filled my backpack with clean clothes and everything else I would need for a shower. I did not have to bring a towel because they provide those. They even have soap, but I like to bring my own because I like the way it smells. We hopped out of the truck and walked into the building. There is a machine inside that resembles an ATM money machine. I scanned my rewards card and it printed out a piece of paper that gave me a number to watch for on a television screen above it. Within a minute my number came up with my assigned shower number. Sometimes during the summer when everyone is stinkier, a line forms and one might have to wait for up to an hour or more! We walked down a hallway filled with shower rooms and stopped at the one that was assigned to me. On the piece of paper were some numbers, also called a ‘PIN’ (Personal Identification number.) There is a keypad outside the shower room and after entering those numbers from my paper, the door made a buzzing sound which signaled it was now unlocked. Flat Stacey and I walked inside so I could give her the tour.

Here is the sink area- there are flowers and even a hair dryer in the off chance you have hair. I don’t have any hair and it saves me a lot of time by not having to blow dry it!

Next, I showed Flat Stacey the shower stall. It is very nice and constructed of ceramic tile. To the right you can see the stack of towels, a bathmat and wash cloths. Petro gives you two huge towels which is very nice. Almost all truck stops also have a handicapped shower for people who have trouble standing up, or cannot stand at all. They are much bigger and even have a detachable shower head that they can use with their hand. (There are also handicapped parking spaces near the building reserved for them so they can get inside easily.)

There is even a potty inside in case you need one before you shower. I didn’t let Flat Stacey get her picture near it. Even though the showers are cleaned very well after each use, I didn’t want to risk her picking up a stray germ.

That was the end of the tour, so I asked Flat Stacey to stand facing the corner while I took a shower. She said she would prefer to wait outside. Before I could answer, she used her flatness and slid right under the door. I figured she would be okay in the hallway while I cleaned myself up.

After about fifteen minutes, I was showered, dressed and ready to roll. Just when I was about to holler Flat Stacey’s name, she slid back under the door. I picked her up. She smelled very clean herself. I asked her where she had been.

“I used my flatness to slide under the door across the hall, and then I took a shower myself.”

“Did you pay for it?” I asked knowing full well she didn’t have any money.

“No. I didn’t have to. I just slid under there. It was very easy and free like your shower was!”

I sighed as I set her on the sink. “Just because you have a talent for certain things does not make it right to use it in ways that are wrong. The showers cost money for a reason- the water isn’t free and neither are the people who clean them after every use.”

Flat Stacey told me that she understood and promised me that she wouldn’t use her flatness to do wrong ever again. I believe her too. We walked out to the cashier. I paid for her shower making my wallet a little flatter in the process. After our truck stop adventure was over, it was time to strap in and hit the road again, fresh and clean for another day of fun together.