I Thought The Scratching Sound Behind My Truck Cab Was Just Another Piece Of Road Noise—Until I Stopped At A Rest Area And Found A Terrified Cat Clinging To The Back Of My Rig With A Tiny Note On Her Collar That Carried Someone Else’s Entire Life

Driving long-haul freight teaches you to live with noise. The engine rumbles constantly beneath your feet, the trailer rattles whenever the road turns rough, and the wind whistles through every tiny seam of metal like it’s trying to sing along with the highway. After fifteen years behind the wheel, I barely noticed half the sounds my truck made anymore.

That …