a diamond in a pile of shit

a couple hours later i'm finally out of minneapolis and all its surrounding suburbs. never did find first avenue. ridiculously tired at this point. found the willow river state park about 20 minutes east in wisconsin. checked it out but they wanted $10 for parking and another $12 for camping. fuck that. found a T & A truck stop up the road and parked there. went in to see about a shower. they've got 'em but you need some kind of trucker's card. so went into the bathroom and washed there. then deliriously wandered thru the dining area. a waitress spots me, "looks like you need a cup of coffee." she's surprisingly young and attractive. not what i expected at a truck stop diner. expected a hairnetted 44 yr old lady; cigarette dangling out of her mouth, asking, "whatchya want to eat, hun?" as she ashes in my coffee. all the other waitresses fit this description. this girl though, like a diamond in a pile of shit. name tag says amanda. didn't really want any coffee. wanted to go to bed, but she got me. sat down at the bar. talked to her a little bit. she asked if i wanted anything to eat. i didn't. but like i said, she got me. ordered a couple scrambled eggs and toast. i asked what time the diner closed. "it doesn't. 24 hrs." asked what time she worked til. "11pm." look at the clock right in back of her. 10:56pm. gotta work fast.