It’s Friday evening and while it seems like the rest of the world is getting ready for a night on the town after a long work-week, Scott has just made his way back to his “home away from home”, again ending his weekly long-haul trip, as he’s been doing for just over three years now. All Scott wants to do is scrub the week off in a long, hot shower, eat a home-cooked meal and sleep. Despite his warm welcome and the smile on his face, his exhaustion is obvious; he has shadows under his eyes and moves like someone twice his age.
His mom’s house - a small, tidy, comfy-cozy home full of books and family pictures – is where Scott stays on the weekends since his contentious divorce and on-going legal and child visitation battles with his ex started in 2014. “It makes more sense for me to just stay here on the weekends, make sure my mom’s okay, rather than waste money on my own place that I’d never be at. I help her, she helps me. Plus, she’s a good cook,” he says with a grin.
Scott is in his mid-40’s – though he could be 10 years younger – and with his dark hair and eyes and a natural confidence and warmth, he’s clean-cut, soft-spoken and mild-mannered. Scott is of average height – 5’10 -  and still has a healthy physique, as he has always had an interest in keeping fit. He has an almost movie-star set of teeth showing a perpetual smile and he’s not just nice-looking – he’s downright handsome. This is a stark contrast to most people’s idea of a dirty, foul-mouthed, rude, shady character who drives a truck for a living. While you’ve still got a few of those types out there, the drivers are generally normal guys and gals just trying to pay the bills for themselves or their family. Drivers come from various backgrounds, situations and walks of life and a good portion that you see behind the wheel of a big-rig truck are former military members.
Scott had a colorful past himself before this role came along, but none of it prepared him for the isolating life as a truck driver: he was a bartender for eight years, working in upscale locales in Olympia across from our state capitol building, regularly serving some of the big wigs who came in at the end of the day and found himself overhearing, or being involved in, some very enlightening conversations about our government and the people who represent it.
At the same time, he had a passion for working out, specifically boxing, and competed in and won tournaments. He moved on and joined the military, being sent to Iraq for one year. When he returned home, he joined the U.S.P.S., where he was the youngest person to move up the ranks and become Post Master of his own post office. He made a six figure salary and planned to stay until retirement. He met his wife, bought a McMansion, a yacht and started his second family.
