The general rule is that hitchhiking with others is the recipe for a long wait. The general rule nowadays appears to be “don’t hitchhike at all.” But once, it was a really a legitimate mode of travel.
She just sat in the grass along the side of the road not saying much and offering little encouragement. She would not even offer a gesture that would increase our odds of getting a ride. No, she didn’t have to do anything and the cars would just pull over and offer us a ride. Sometimes there would be two or three cars pulling over and he could literally just choose.
It wasn’t just the good looks, but rather, people just cannot resist picking up a Labrador retriever, particularly a young black one with a red bandana. Having a dog with you somehow said that you were not an ax murderer, and more importantly, that you were an animal lover. A good thing, no?
Typically the driver would stumble around with quick questions for him to identify any quirks or concerns, or even just to make small talk. Yet with her along, resting her nose on the open window and breathing in the new air, the driver would immediately ask a hundred questions about her, and how we became traveling buddies. “Well, it’s a long story he would begin,” knowing that the longer the stories, the longer the ride.
Please feel free to e-mail a comment to chasingthecenterline@gmail.com
