It was a long morning after trying to walk to interstate 59 only to hitchhike back to where the day started. Today, I was really hopeful to narrow the distance between the middle of Mississippi and Houston, Texas.
While hitchhiking at an entrance ramp near a truck stop, Pat, a homeless man, and I got to know each other for a little bit, but unfortunately, we parted ways on broken terms- mainly my fault.
Henry stopped in his truck with a "Jesus is Lord" license plate cover. I always chuckle internally if my mood is not completely dampened when someone drives by with some sort of religous message on their vehicle: Chances are, these people will not stop to help. Ironically. But then it's not so ironic to think about the security they would be relenting to help a total stranger. On the other hand, they should probably do without the creed on their cars because it reflects badly on them to reveal their hypocrisy. To give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they bought the vehicle with the messages attached beforehand.
Henry had stopped by the local hardware store earlier and had seen me thumbing a ride, and he considered to himself, "If I see that guy standing there when I come back around, I'm going to give him a ride."
He was only going about 10 miles, but I must have made a good impression during the brief moments, that he asked if I wanted to stay at his property with his girlfriend and him. After almost 2 weeks hitchhiking, I was a little wary of people's intentions. Not because of death, but because some guys who have given me rides were homosexuals and had an axe to grind. Even though some were gay, they actually helped because they really wanted to help first and foremost- and nothing else.
This event took me back last year when a man offered me a place to stay in his trailer while hitchhiking in California and getting off the Pacific Crest Trail for the first time. To be on the safe side, I declined the offer and suffered a horribly hot night tenting in the desert. Now the moment presented itself again. First though, I couldn't just accept blindly: I needed to understand the situation and the person dealt with, and time was short for making a decision.
...to be continued...
