Three Days in Abilene

When you drive as much as I do, breakdowns happen. You only hope that when the breakdown hits, you’re not in Joplin, Tulsa, or Cheyenne. Add Abilene to that list. I stopped at a truck stop on the outskirts of town to sleep and when I fired up the truck the next morning, I had a slew of indicator lights on so I went to a garage and ended up having to get a hotel room, which ended up with me in a hotel for three days. I made the best of it, but had this strange depression also, mostly from the circumstances. Work ended up recalling me, but I opted to take the bus back instead of fly since my original ticket was on the bus and I would have been stuck on an off-brand airline instead of American Airlines. It was an easier option based on a few factors so I decided to just do the bus. Mainly, with American, if I miss my flight, as a Preferred Traveler, I have same day standby, but if my bus from Abilene to Dallas would have been delayed and I had another carrier, I would have been completely screwed and I would have had to pay even more for my check bag. Worse, the flight would have landed me someplace rather inconvenient, near home, but in an expensive place to Uber home from. I hate the bus!

 

I’m sorry, but Abilene is not the prettiest town I ever seen and I would be happy to never go back there. I will agree with the namesake song; that the girls there never treat you mean, but that’s because everyone in that city is looking to escape somehow. Drugs, alcohol, sex are all there, because no one else wants to be. I have never seen a city that was in a state of emotional depression quite like Abilene. I asked the girl at the front desk if there was a place to get a drink within walking distance. She said “I wish!” She suggested using an app like Uber that delivers liquor to you and she explained that she uses it all the time. Then she went on with, “I don’t know what I was thinking when I moved back here. I never should have come back.” That seemed a little bit over the top, but you could see the sadness in her eyes when she said it. Throughout the three days I was there, I encountered others saying the same thing, some with similar words even. I know I felt I needed to get away and they all seemed like they needed to as well.

 

I ended up having to take a bus out of there. It was thirty minutes late and the driver had to take his thirty minute break. By the time I got to Dallas, I missed my connecting bus by ten minutes. They couldn’t hold the bus for those of us needing to make the transfer and I had to sleep in the Dallas bus station and wait on my next bus out of there, some twelve hours later.

 

In Abilene, there was no happiness, no comfort, no joy. It was the most desperate place I’ve ever been and there was a sense of depression everywhere from everyone. People just felt stuck. I’m glad to not be there.

 

Thank you for reading this piece from Michael Beebe. For more about Michael, please visit TheMichaelBeebe.com or VagabondingAmerica.com.