The Hitchhiker

The soothing voice of Leonard Cohen floated from the stereo speakers, and from time to time the glow of oncoming headlights illuminated the driver’s solitary pilgrimage. Ted rubbed his eyes and mused to himself; ‘Hallelujah’ may not be the best song to keep him awake. The view in the rear view mirror was the same dark patch it had been for the past 100 miles, aside from the occasional receding tail lights on the far side of the road. Ted sighed, shook his head quickly, and glanced at the clock in his dashboard. It was only 11:00. He could carry on a little longer. The long and lonely road home for Christmas was a little long-and-lonelier than he remembered it being. His thoughts wandered back over the past few months in the city, and over friends back home and what he hoped might happen. Ted sighed. 400 miles to go. He switched the dial on the radio and found some sort of talk show.

“...and to all you lonely hearts out there, missing that special someone this Christmas season, just know that they’re thinking of you, and wishing you a merry, merry Christmas.” The obnoxiously sweet woman’s voice was replaced with the sounds of Michael Buble singing ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ and Ted rolled his eyes and turned it up. He was planning to be home for Christmas, but the radio show’s host had no business saying all that junk about a special someone. He rubbed his eyes and suddenly caught sight of a person, walking on the shoulder ahead of him. The man had a large backpack and as Ted passed him he thought he looked young. Ted checked his mirror, glanced at the clock, and finally switched on his turn signal with a huff and pulled onto the shoulder. The car rolled to a slow stop and Ted put it in park, resting his elbow on the door. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched as the man approached the driver side window. Ted rolled down the window and the man kept a respectful distance back.

“Where are you headed?” Ted asked.

“Home for Christmas, man.” The man who said. He looked young, probably in college.

“Are you gonna walk the whole way?”

“Well, I never minded the cold, and the stars are nice. There haven’t been very many cars this late at night.”

“Well,” Ted found himself saying. “I could give you a ride, if you like. Where are you trying to get to?” The kid’s face lit up.

“Tennessee.”

“That’s not exactly on my way,” Ted said and the man’s face fell.

“Oh that’s okay.” He said quickly before Ted could continue.

“...but it is Christmas, you know?” The kid’s face lit up brighter than before.

“For real?”

“For real.” Ted chuckled. “Go ahead and put your stuff in the back and hop in. We can probably get in a few more hours before we need to find a place to stay tonight.” The college kid hurried around to the other side of the car and put his backpack in the back seat. Ted had always heard about stuff like this happening, but never to him. The kid opened the passenger door and then stopped before getting in.

“Do you mind if I send a picture of your car to my mom? I don’t want to be rude it’s just–”

“It’s not rude, buddy.” The kid nodded and ran out to take a picture of the license plates. He finally got in the car and tried to apologize again.

“Really, it’s not personal my mom just said–”

“It’s really not rude. We all gotta be safe.” Ted dismissed him and pulled the car back onto the road. “My name’s Ted.”

“Teo,” he said.

“Where’re you coming from Teo?” Ted asked, scrolling the dial on the radio.

“University of South Dakota. I’m studying theater there.

“No kidding? Do you sing?”

“Well, I’m more into the straight plays.” Teo said, sounding a little embarrassed.

“Okay, that’s cool too.” Ted said, not wanting to pressure the kid.

“It’s not that I don’t want to sing,” Teo continued quickly. “I’m just not the best at it.”

“For real? Come on, there’s no way.” Ted tried to counter.

“Haha yeah, I’m better with just the acting.” Teo admitted. “Anyway, it’s a hard career path so I’ll probably pick up some classes in teaching, try to become a drama teacher, you know?”

“Sure, the world always needs teachers.” The two drove on in silence for awhile longer, listening to the sounds of the radio and the car as it drove until Ted spotted a motel and got a room for the night. After realizing Teo didn’t have any extra cash for a room Ted took a deep breath and a small amount of risk and offered him the pullout sofa in his room. Teo accepted it gratefully. Ted chuckled as he turned out his light for the night. The kid seemed alright.

The next morning saw breakfast at a local greasy spoon diner which Ted once again covered and the two boys were back on the road by 9:00 am. Teo was a little more talkative in the daylight, looking around and taking in the sights of the road as they passed. Ted found it amusing but tried to focus on the road now that they were taking a route he didn’t know. Teo sent a few videos to his parents, showing them the country they were passing. Ted made sure to call his mom when they stopped at a rest stop. She was skeptical of his passenger, but Ted found himself dismissing the same concerns he’d had all last night as he chuckled watching Teo talk to the video on his phone. Teo was nothing to worry about. Back on the road with Teo’s window down Ted updated him on the trip.

“We should make it to Tennessee by the end of the day.”

“Good!” Teo grinned, letting his hand glide outside the car. “Can you take me as far as Memphis?”

“I don’t see why not.” Ted listened as the song on the radio changed. ‘Don’t stop believing’ was cliche, but maybe cliche would do the trick. “Okay, Teo. This is your chance.” He said, turning up the radio.

“My chance…?” He started to say before he heard the song. He rolled his eyes and laughed nervously as he answered. “No, really mister Ted, I’m not a singer.”

“Sure you are! Let me hear it.” Teo protested a little longer before finally giving in to Ted’s demands, stumbling through the words of the first verse but finding himself in the chorus.

“See?” Ted shouted over the noise of the wind and the radio. “You’ve got what it takes, pal!” Teo laughed as Ted joined in singing, blowing out their voices and the speakers in his car.

The two stopped again for lunch and made small talk, Teo apparently in a better mood than he had been this morning.

“Do you have a girl, mister Ted? Maybe a wife?”

“No,” Ted chuckled. “Nothing like that.”

“Really?”

“What? Do I look the type?”

“Well,” Teo continued. “You’re a pretty nice guy. I know I don’t really know you, but you seem alright in my book. I just thought someone successful, nice, should have someone in his life.”

“Well, Teo,” Ted prepared to admit. “I did have someone, recently, but she broke things off with me.”

“Oh, man Ted, I’m sorry.”

“Eh,” Ted deflected it, trying to avoid dwelling on it. “That’s life, isn’t it?”

“Well, there’ll be someone else, won’t there?”

“I don’t know, Teo.” Ted sighed and took a sip of his drink. “I’m a little tired of it right now. I think maybe I should take some time to myself.” Teo nodded as he took a bite of his hamburger.

“That makes sense, I guess.” Teo looked embarrassed to have asked.

“What about you? You got a girl? Or a boy?” Teo blushed as he shook his head.

“No, not really.” Ted fixed him with a doubting eye. “I mean, there’s a girl back home, but we’re not really together.”

“Yet, right?”

“Haha,” Teo chuckled nervously. “Maybe. I always thought she kind of had a thing for me, and she texted me the other day to ask if I was coming home for Christmas.”

“What’d you say?” Ted asked, leaning in.

“Nothing yet.”

“Nothing?!” Ted asked in disbelief.

“What do you mean?” Teo asked with a laugh, suddenly defensive.

“Do you like this girl?”

“Sure.” Teo stammered out.

“And it seems like she likes you, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Go get her!” Ted laughed. Teo laughed with him. Ted checked his watch. “We’d better get back on the road, huh Teo? You’ve got a girl waiting for you.”

“We’ll see, mister Ted.”

The rest of their journey together was short. The sun set around 5:30, and they drove through the dark again like the day before. Ted didn’t need his map anymore, following the signs for Memphis at Teo’s instruction. Finally the small Volvo pulled into the unfamiliar driveway of a small family home in the suburbs outside Memphis Tennessee. Teo tried to convince Ted to come inside and meet his family but Ted turned him down; he could drive a few more hours tonight, and he had to get back on the road. Teo hugged him and awkwardly said he’d call that girl before he hurried up the walk to his front door. Ted got back in the car, and waited until the door opened and two people who must’ve been Teo’s parents appeared and hugged him with broad smiles. Ted thought about his own family, waiting for him back home, and he smiled as he pulled out of the neighborhood. It was just Ted and the radio now, for better or worse, and he wasn’t far now from home. He could get a few more hours in before he needed to stop for the night. Ted turned up the radio.