Hitchin' A Ride

 ♪ A thumb goes up; a car goes by; hitchin' a ride, hitchin' a ride, ride, ride, ride, hitchin' a ride. ♪

This isn't the first time Vanity Fare's 'Hitchin' A Ride' has been the early a.m. wake up song in my head. Between that and today's word of the day - fraught - as in 'fraught with danger' - it seems time to tell one of my highschool memories. 

Hitchhiking was not uncommon in the 1940's and 50's. I don't remember it, but Mom told me Dad used to hitchhike to town when the roads were impassable, a distance of five miles. He had to walk the first mile over to the highway before, hopefully, catching a ride.

My older brother also hitchhiked, but for girls it was a big no-no unless you knew and trusted the person who stopped and offered a ride.

My first two years of highschool, the bus route made me one of the last to get on which was great; I didn't have to get up early. The downside was the v-e-r-y l-o-n-g ride home in the afternoon. More kids rode the buses then. The daily ride was long and noisy and I often had a problem with headaches between the noise and the motion. The bus passed within a mile and a half of our place fairly early along the route. In nice weather I would ask the bus driver to be let off at the corner west of the farm. I don't remember if I had to have Mom give him permission to let me off there or if he just trusted that it was okay. 

I only did this in nice weather, of course, but it was such a relief to walk down the road in peace and quiet. There wasn't a lot of traffic along that stretch, but every once in awhile a neighbor would stop and offer me a ride which I would accept because that meant I could get home and get my chores done earlier and then start on homework before supper.

One afternoon an old black '49 Ford stopped. The guy asked if I wanted a ride. I recognized him but I didn't 'know' him. I had been told not to get into a car with anyone I didn't know and trust. So I said, "No, thanks. I'm almost home." He realized I was leery of him. He said, "I know your Dad, it's okay to get in." Then he said what his name was and that I knew who his son was. Yes, I knew his son even though he had graduated highschool and gone on to college - he was a star basketball player. Still, I didn't know enough about the driver to accept a ride. I kept refusing and he kept trying to convince me it was okay. It seemed like it took forever though it was probably only a few minutes, he finally realized I meant it and drove on.

I hadn't panicked even though I felt like it when he wouldn't take no for an answer. I was so relieved but it bothered me so much I didn't mention it to my parents. A few days later Dad told me the guy had seen him in town and with some amusement, told him about me not accepting a ride home. I felt as though my father was also a bit amused by it, but, hopefully, also a little proud of me. The following school year our bus route changed and my sister started highschool so there were two of us getting on the bus. No more lone walks home for me.

I think the fact that I still remember that day so vividly indicates how scared I was at the time. I may not have known first hand about any abductions but I had read about them.

My highschool sophomore picture. I felt a lot older than I look in this photo. Wise beyond my years?

Ride, ride, ride - no hitchin' a ride for me.