Arnold Watkins picked me up five minutes after I began hitchhiking toward the Interstate. I had a destination in mind, but I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know where I would end up.

"Don't you look spiffy today, Joshua. Where you heading? I'm going to see mom. She lives just across Interstate 5."

"I'll go to the 5 with you. Before you cross the overpass, I'll get out."

This would be repeated for anyone who asked the last person from Eagle Point to see me.

"Took him out to the 5," Mr Watkins would say. "He was walking toward the southbound ramp the last I saw of him."

I shook Stanley's hand and said, "Thanks for everything, Stanley."

Stanley knew I wouldn't be back. I saw it in his eyes. He was watching me leave his house for the final time.

I was eight the first time I came through Stanley's front door. I was twenty and going out that door for the final time.

I gave my mother a hug she shrugged off, as usual.

"Bye, Ma."

"What's gotten into you? You just going over to the church," she asked me, not understanding.

Stanley would explain it to her in a few days when my mother began to notice I was nowhere around.

I picked up my gym bag with my leather jacket draped over it. I walked toward the church and my last hurrah. I was wearing my only suit Stanley bought me to attend his daughters' weddings. I wouldn't need a suit where I was going.

Deciding to leave Eagle Point was relatively new, but before I went to be Kerry's best man, I knew I didn't want to see him with Jenny around town. Seeing them together would cause me a pain I might not be able to endure. I was in love with Kerry. I had always loved him, since my first day in third grade.

Today, I would stand up for him, keeping the ring he'd put on Jenny's finger on my little finger, as suggested by the minister, so I didn't need to fumble for it when the time came, and while they kissed, and everyone was overjoyed, I made my exit and left for parts unknown.

I had a destination in mind. Once I went to see the hotel where Eddie Murphy sent Rosewood and Taggart room service, while they tailed him to that hotel, it was a hysterical scene.

I wanted to see that hotel. After that, I don't know where I'd end up. The options were endless but I didn't know where I'd go. It was like that hotel was a dead end. Once I went there, I'd figure out what came next.

No one would bother to search for me, once Mr Watkins said where he dropped me off. I got out of his car at the doorway to the world. Kerry might wonder where I got to, the first time he needed me to do to him something Jenny couldn't do. How much he might miss me, I can't say.

I felt surprisingly buoyant walking down the ramp to stand beside Interstate 5 with my thumb out. I was leaving the only life I'd known behind me. I was excited to get on with a life where I called the shots.

I was in the wind and the wind blew in a southerly direction.

I saw the car with an old couple slowing as it passed, pulling onto the shoulder. It was near perfect timing. I just stuck out my thumb. I didn't expect such good luck. It was a good sign.

"He looks like Sidney, doesn't he, Mother. I told her you look just like Sidney. He's our grandson. I was right, wasn't I, Mother."

"Yes, you did, Dear. He did. Sidney's an aviator for the air force. You look just like him. He's a chick magnet. Are you a chick magnet?" she asked.

"Sidney don't talk like that, Mother. He wants a ride not I lesson on sassy talk. Don't mind her. She thinks all our grandsons look like models. They do do well with the girls."

"That's nice," I said, watching the sixty-year-old man look at me in the rear view mirror .

"An aviator, how exciting," I said, happy my name wasn't Sidney.

I couldn't imagine being called Sidney, no matter what I flew. They carried me to Grants Pass. They were heading east, and I got off at the top of the ramp.

There were few places to stop once you reached California. I knew Lake Shasta came first and it was three hours or so to Redding, California. I was sure I'd get a good ride out of Grants Pass.

Once at the bottom of the ramp, I stuck out my thumb. Cars were all going too fast to stop safely. It was a nice day and a little warm to be wearing a leather jacket, but I didn't want to carry it.

Traffic was a bit more busy but it wasn't heavy and it certainly wasn't slow. The cars zipped past and didn't give me a second look. I knew I wouldn't get a ride right away every time, but I was in no hurry.

There were a lot of big trucks hauling freight. Most were going too fast to consider stopping for a hitchhiker. I'd never been in a big rig. I wondered where they were coming from and where they were going to. I hadn't gone much and I couldn't imagine what it was like going all the time.

The thing I noticed first about the big trucks, most of them moved into the left lane before reaching the overpass. That left the right lane free for traffic to merge on to the southbound lanes. Then, once beyond the overpass, trucks moved back into the right hand lane to let faster cars go by.

Even on the shoulder, I felt the rush of air each time a big truck passed. I tried to identify what kind of trucks passed me. There was a White, a Freightliner, two Internationals and a GMC. They came in all colors. Green and red seemed to be the most popular colors.

It was a big red Kenworth moving along in the right lane when I heard the air brakes being applied. As it slowed, it moved on to the shoulder beyond where I stood quite a ways beyond me. I picked up my gym bag and ran toward the waiting truck. I thought I would get a good long ride this time.

I felt like I ran to California by the time I reached the passenger side door. I climbed up, opened the door, and dropped down in the passenger seat. I was breathing hard as I looked over at the young driver.

He was smiling and I smiled back. I was happy to be able to ride a while. I sure didn't want to run to California. That little jaunt wore me out. Once I gathered my senses about myself, I became aware of my good luck holding.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I expected an old fat guy who leered my way. The truck driver wasn't much older than I was. He wore a tee-shirt that showed off a nice chest and arms muscular enough to manage a big rig.

As soon as I dropped down in the seat, the truck began to move. And we began moving, blending into traffic as he shifted up through more gears than I thought would be impossible to get into one truck.

Once he finished with the shifting, and we were going along at the same speed as the traffic around us, he gave me a good looking over. His smile revealed what he thought of the boy he just took off the highway. My smile told him everything he needed to know.

"Thank you for stopping," I said, wanting to hear his voice.

"Thank you for being out there. I was bored to death, and then, there you were. I'm Andy by the way," he said, reaching his right hand out my way.

"Joshua," I said, putting my hand in his.

His grip was firm but not overpowering. His hand was warm. I was hot.

The touch of his hand was a pleasant affair I dreamed we were having. I looked at his face once I reluctantly gave his hand back to him. He put it back on the steering wheel to join his other hand in guiding the eighteen wheeler.

I looked at a face I liked and sensed a sensitivity I didn't expect to find in a truck driver's face. He studied the road, his mirrors, and the position of the other cars. He took quick glances at me while he was doing it. I didn't ask him what it was he was looking at, while I looked at him.

I smiled. He smiled. The truck moved smoothly down the highway.

He seemed totally focused on the task at hand, but not too focused not to notice me sitting next to him. I wasn't accustomed to being noticed by anyone not named Kane. Andy noticed me and I sure as hell noticed him. I didn't know where it went from here, but we were going south together for a while.

"Did I mention my name is Andy? Certainly I did, and you're Josh. Nice to meet you, Josh. You'll need to forgive me. These trucks take a lot of driving," he explained. "Takes some time to stop one," he said.

He had dark brown eyes and wonderful looking lips. He hadn't shaved for a day or two, but his face was attractive, and his smile. OMG, that smile. "What?" I asked about the fourth time he looked at me.

"You're cute as hell. Where they been hiding your ass?" he said.

"Eagle Point," I said, not sure how to take his enthusiasm.

"Eagle Point's loss is most definitely my gain," Andy said, giving Josh a smile that would melt anyone's heart.

Andy laughed about his good fortune.

"I pick up hitchhikers because it breaks the monotony. Few look like you."

"No one has made much fuss over my looks. I'm kind of ordinary."

"I didn't get a good look at you when I came out from under the overpass. I was checking my mirror for cars merging on the right, and then, there you were."

Josh took Andy's words as complimentary. He liked the view from the passenger seat. He liked Andy's looks. He certainly didn't have any trouble attracting lovers.

Andy seemed involved with getting back up to speed and back into traffic. The traffic seemed light as they stormed toward the California line. Josh had no idea how far it was to California, but he was in no hurry.

Leaving Oregon was a big deal. He was sure he went to Washington once, but he didn't remember it. Washington looked a lot like Oregon to him back then. He hadn't been to California and he was anxious to go there.

Andy checked his left mirror as he kept shifting up through the gears. In a minute he was moving along with the traffic, and cars and big rigs went by in the left lane from time to time.

I suppose he hadn't gotten a good look at me with traffic coming and going from the highway. He made up for it once he had his truck back up to speed.

"You aren't half bad yourself," told him.

I figured honesty was the best policy. I had nothing to hide, and how long was I going to be in his truck? I hoped a few hours, but I didn't know.

"I'm heading for San Luis Obispo. Deliver day after tomorrow. Is that OK by you?" Andy asked. "I can't change my destination, but I'd consider it if it meant playing into your hands. I mean keeping you with me for longer."

"You do come straight to the point," I kidded him.

"I'm sorry. It's been a while since I had such nice company. I don't want to run you off. Where you heading?"

"Los Angeles."

"We're fine. Where I'm going is three hours north of LA. I'll deliver in two days, and we'll be near the highway that takes you to LA."

"Perfect," I said. "I'll go all the way, if you don't mind company."

"Going all the way is more than I could have hoped for," Andy said.

"How come your all the way doesn't sound like my all the way?"

"Too much time on my hands. My mind goes straight to sex every time. It's on my mind a lot but unfortunately, it rarely makes it into my bunk. I get that your all the way would be a distance, and my all the way would be a physical manifestation."

On a straight flat stretch of road, I leaned to put my lips on Andy's lips. The kiss lasted for a few seconds, but the reaction was priceless.

"What was that for?"

"My thank you for picking me up," I said. "Maybe a preview of coming attractions."

"I'm the one that should thank you. You just made my day."

"Wait until you stop your truck. I can show my gratitude in lots of ways. You ain't seen nothing yet."

I suppose some straight old fat truck driver wasn't going to be the guy to stop for a freshly scrubbed man who looked like he might be out on a lark, or to go to get with his girlfriend. I imagine there weren't too many men standing on the side of the road a few hours after his boyfriend married his girlfriend.

Andy was a find. He was out of Tacoma, loaded in Seattle, and took a regular run to within a couple of hundred miles of the place where I wanted to go.

"You hungry?" Andy asked an hour after we reached California.

"I could eat," I said without hesitating.

"My treat," Andy said. "I stop at a place along side the highway about an hour ahead. Good food and it's easy to get off the highway and back on."

It didn't look like much but the lasagna was to die for and the ice tea was sweet cold and delicious. We ate two orders of garlic bread between us. We had a few slices left over to take with us for later. I carried it back to the truck.

"I wish I had the time, Gorgeous," Andy said, putting his arms around me.

We shared a nice kiss before he reached to unlock my door and walked around the front of the truck to his side.

I watched Andy as he merged back onto the Interstate. He shifted up through all those gears like it was a natural part of what he did. His eyes moved constantly as he checked the highway, the traffic, and his place in it. Once back up to speed, we cruised along with traffic that grew lighter as day time became night time and we moved along into the darkness.

"I need to stay fairly close to my schedule, or we could have gotten in a little bunk time. By staying on schedule, we'll have eight hours tonight, and I'll be in San Luis Obispo late tomorrow afternoon or in the early evening. I deliver the following morning at six."

"How can you be so sure where you'll be at any given time?" I asked.

"I drive this load three times every two weeks. It's like going to the grocery store. I know what time I'll leave and I know what time I'll arrive. It's a thousand miles, but I know where I'll eat and where I'll fuel before I start on the run."

"I can't remember the last time I left Eagle Point," I said amazed.

"I detect a sad story that involves why you were standing on the side of the highway," Andy said, taking more glances at me.

I didn't have much to say to that. It reminded me of why I was out there. It reminded me of Kerry and what he'd done to me. He didn't owe me the rest of his life. He had plans and a life of his own, and my life and his life were going in different directions now.

"How long have you been doing this, Andy?" I finally asked him.

"I'm twenty-four. I went out with my old man when I was nineteen. He taught me what I needed to know. At twenty-one, he bought me a truck and we covered a lot of freight coming out of the Northwest. I'm on a turn that takes me to and from the same place three times in two weeks. I'm at home every other Sunday. It's close to six thousand miles in two weeks. With time off after each two weeks, I log eleven thousand miles a month. It's not a breakneck schedule."

"Wow. That's a lot of miles."

"It's routine. I make a good living and I meet interesting people."

"You ever think about needing someone to help you with all that driving?"

"You applying? I think I could go a long way with you, Josh."

"Like I said, I'll go all the way with you. I can't drive a truck. I rarely drive at all. I have a driver's license collecting dust in my wallet."

"I like having someone ride along. I haven't found anyone who wants to go with me. I'd want someone who didn't mind having sex a lot. I wouldn't mind someone who could talk while the long haul gets longest. I wouldn't mind someone to share my life with, but I've never attracted many men who like me that much."

"I've got something I made up my mind to do. I am going to Los Angeles, but once I get done there, maybe we'll hook up again."

"I'd like that, especially the hooking up part," Andy said.

As cool as Andy seemed to me, I needed to keep moving. I wasn't far enough away from Kerry Kane. The closer to him I was, the harder it would be to stay away from him. Passing the cut off to Eagle Point each time Andy went home and left on another run, would put the temptation and Kerry too easy to access. One day I'd weaken and I'd leave Andy to go back to Kerry.

The idea that I did something for Kerry that Jenny couldn't do, gave me hope he'd be delighted to see me to give him a shot of what he needed. There was no doubt that Kerry thought I'd be there when he needed me after he married Jenny. He failed to see how much he meant to me, and how painful it would be for me to see him with someone else.

I didn't want to hang around waiting for him to give me a little of his time. There had to be something more to my life than that.

I was the best man at Kerry's wedding. I had the ring and I stood beside him while he was married to Jenny. I stood up for him, even while my heart ached for him. It was the last act in a friendship that began a dozen years before. It was time for me to exit Eagle Point. I never really belonged there. My mother took me with her when she married Stanley, and I made the most of it.

Andy was a nice boy. He was searching for something too, but his life would never get me far enough away from Kerry. It wouldn't be fair to take him up on an offer to ride with him even for a little while. I'd only made my break from Kerry a few hours before. It was way too soon to be passing the road that would lead me back to Kerry.

If I was away for long enough, maybe then an offer like that could be considered, but it was too soon. As nice as Andy was, my desire for Kerry was too strong. I really didn't know Andy and perhaps we were compatible, maybe not.

He had big hands that kept control of the big truck. His forearms were also a good size and. When he steered into the left lane to go around slower traffic, his arms bulged in a nice way.

He wasn't too big but he was too nice. Unfortunately, he would be so nice that I couldn't leave him. When I got into his truck, I knew I'd be getting out.


Send Rick an email at quillswritersrealm@yahoo.com

On to Chapter Twelve
"Coming Clean"

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"The Road"

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