Page 90 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

approaches a lone figure, striding purposefully, head erect, eyes

straight ahead. Wait. Wait. Now! As he begins to slip by, give a
hearty, loud, “Hi there!”

The effect is immediate and visible: a startled disjointing of his
stride. There is instant confusion. “Where do I look?” “What do I

say?” It’s as though our greeting had ripped off some cloak of
invisibility and he now stood naked before us. Alone, with no

companions to keep us at bay, there might be a stuttered; “Hello”
heard moments after we had passed. After a few such encounters,

we lost interest in the game and took pity on this helpless prey by
keeping our mouths shut and playing the “King’s New Clothes”

game as though we were alone in the world.

The rest of the day was long and tense once we got to the Ohio

Turnpike. It’s dangerous to maintain the speed limit with 18-
wheelers running up your back but the occasional blinking blue

lights of the Highway Patrol warned of the consequences
otherwise. With good fortune, I did not make any close

acquaintances with truckers or patrolmen.

We traveled over 500 miles and have stopped just short of the

Pennsylvania line. We will be on the Pa. Turnpike in the morning.
To bed.

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