Teenage Hitchhiker
“I’ve always loved that road,” she said, and I saw her face
clearly in the light of a passing car as she grinned. It was a pretty
face, but I was startled by the glint of jewelry on the side of her nose.
I was curious about her nose jewelry, but I didn’t want to offend
her so I said nothing and tried not to stare. Her nose jewelry sparkled
oddly in the lights of the dashboard, and I wondered what it would look
like in the full light of day.
It was too early in the morning for me to make much in the way of
smalltalk, and on a different road with a different driver, I’d have
relaxed and tried to doze off. As it was, I was tense. The road twisted
and turned as it followed the canyon, and in the dark, even with the
headlights, it was unnerving.
“Hungry?” Susan asked, pulling onto the exit ramp. I must have
dozed off, I don’t know how. The clock on the dashboard said that it was
after eight and we were on I-70 just below Idaho Springs.
“Sure,” I said. “Got any place in mind?”