Cliff's Good Deed

15 - Hannah on the Test Course

Cliff laid his hand atop Hannah's to prevent her from pulling the lever. She didn't remove her hand but shot him with an intense stare. "Why are you touching me?"

The skin on the back of her hand felt smooth, soft, and warm. He swallowed. "This lever engages the hydraulic ram that ejects all the garbage in the containment compartment. You don't want to pull it. I don't think there's anything back there, but it's best not to risk it. It would make a smelly mess in the parking lot and then my operations manager would give me a good scolding."

Her gaze softened. She didn't pull her hand away. "Well, then, I won't pull the lever."

Reluctantly, he lifted his hand from hers. "Fire it up."

She depressed the clutch pedal and powered on the engine.

In the side mirror, Cliff watched as a momentary cloud of black diesel exhaust belched from the tailpipe. "This is a dual-purpose waste machine. On the right side of the vehicle are extendable pinchers used to grab wheelie bins. The front of the vehicle has the fork used to lift commercial dumpsters." He pointed to a lane ahead and to the right. "We'll start with wheelie row."

She shot him a questioning look.

"You'll see what I mean. Drive away."

Hannah moved the shift lever to first gear and eased up on the clutch. She executed a smooth rolling start that impressed Cliff. "Have you ever driven a large truck before?"

She wore a smile. "No, and I love sitting up so high. Steering is a lot easier than I thought it would be."

As she drove into the lane, a row of a dozen containers lined the curb simulating the stops a truck would make in a residential neighborhood.

"Pull even with the first wheelie bin."

Hannah slowed to a stop. "How can I? It's on the right side of the truck out of my view."

He tapped the video monitor on the dashboard. "Use the camera. Keep rolling until the bin is centered between the red lines."

"How can I tell if I'm close enough for the arm to reach?"

"The arm has a twenty-foot reach. You'll be close enough."

"Okay," she said, her voice sounding tentative.

Cliff studied her. She chewed her lower lip as she eased the truck forward while watching the monitor.

She stopped. "Am I lined up?"

"You tell me. Is the bin between the red lines?"

"I think it's close enough."

It wasn't, but Cliff didn't correct her knowing how experience was the best teacher. "Go ahead and use the joystick to extend the arm."

She eased the stick to the right. The arm shot out. Instead of grasping the bin, the arm crashed into it knocking it over. Hannah gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Cliff laughed. "You should see your face. You look like you just shot someone."

"Don't laugh at me. I feel bad."

"No big deal. It's just an empty plastic wheelie bin, and that was your first attempt." He got out of the truck and set the bin upright. When he climbed back in, he told her to try again.

She eased the truck forward a few inches perfectly aligning the sights. This time when she engaged the arm, it found the bin and grabbed it between its pinchers. "Now what do I do?"

"Pull back on the joystick."

When she did so, the hydraulic arm lifted the bin over the hopper and stopped.