Hitchhikers

Yesterday I drove to Memphis and back. It was a beautiful day and the drive wasn't too bad - it's usually grueling to go down and straight back for me.

Twice I saw a person hitchhiking on the interstate. Neither time had I seen a broken down vehicle - and one man - elderly - had on a backpack. As I drove past them I did feel a twinge to reach out and help someone, then common sense or fear and knowledge of what could happen took over and I kept right on driving. They were on my mind though - and why were they hitchhiking? I sometimes wonder if the present economical status of so many of our citizens won't lead to much more hitchhiking - of course that's a whole website to itself - my opinions about what the future holds that is.

I've never picked up a hitchhiker - probably never will - my favorite author - King - has never written a successful horror story about doing such a thing - and the real stories on the television news have been almost as bad as his fictional accounts. But, I remember growing up as a child in Southern Kentucky - every time we went somewhere you were bound to see a hitchhiker. Some regular folks - but mostly soldiers.

It was the late 60's and they (soldiers) would pretty much all be headed to Ft. Campbell. My dad always stopped and picked them up, asked them where they were from and where they were headed, and drove them as far as we were going, or dropped them wherever they were headed if not as far. It seemed like the most perfectly normal thing to do. I remember their gratitude and Daddy telling them good luck. I remember fear in their face too - most of them would be in Vietnam within a week of us seeing them.

Us kids were all aware of Vietnam, we had one uncle there with the Marines, one in Germany with the Army, and another just home from the Navy. Stopping and giving them a ride, if only for a few miles, well, we felt like we were doing our part to support the troups and our nation. That made us proud.

I thought I saw that same look of fear yesterday - but my own kept me from doing my part to support a fellow citizen. That makes me sad.