Barefoot on Ballast

It all started after I caught a hotshot outta Nashville, it had been raining for a day but by the time I had caught out it had cleared up, it was sunny. The most logical ride at the moment (given the 1 minute that the train stopped) was a 53 with no floor, had to ride it suicide. This worked fine, until I hit a crazy storm system in lower Indiana that left me running for cover when we sided later that day. I popped open an empty container, and hopped inside, as we pulled out and picked up speed the wind continuously slammed the door open so I had to figure out a way to keep it shut. I twisted up my tarp so it was thick like rope, and managed to knot the bottom of the door then stretch the rest of the tarp out and lay on it, hoping my weight would keep the tarp from pulling out, and the door opening. Then I added other heavy stuff, like a gallon of water and my shoes. After a crew change in Evansville, it continued to rain throughout the night, I passed out. I woke up in the morning to find the door completely swung open, still raining and my shoes gone!! But no!! these were super sweet old Nike dunks that were one size two small!! I loved those shoes, oh well, who cares. So I was barefoot, wondering how the fuck my shoes were missing? I guess the door swung open pulling the tarp out from under the shoes, throwing the shoes out the bottom of the empty floor of the 53! So with like 6 or so hours still to ride I figured Id been walkin' around the streets of Chicago barefoot that day. But, as luck would have it, right behind CSX's Bedfork Park yard is a WALMART, I'm gettin' off here!!! I yelled to myself. My train was rolling at about 10mph into the east end of the yard, I wasn't waiting for the train to stop, the last thing I wanted was to be in the yard stumbling around barefoot, I hopped off just before the yard, clinging to the ladder and ever so gently swung one foot down then the other and started running, the ballast rocks didn't even hurt - I tensed up my foot like I was running across hot coals!! Like this was some stunt show and the world was watching, but nobody saw, just me and the back of WALMART, and maybe a security camera. I walked into WALMART, threw my shit into a shopping cart, and made my way to the shoe department...