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Matthew honestly thought he’d have to spend a sleepless night camping in the snake-infested desert. When he saw a the trail of dirt kicking up on the road, he jumped up and began to wave his arms. Even if this one wasn’t interested in taking hitchhikers, Matthew was determined to get him interested.
“HEY! Stop! Please, sir! Hey!” Matthew stepped into the road. They’d have to stop, or else they’d hit him. And that’s when Matthew would make his move and convince him to take him with.
He swallowed as the man in the pickup truck slowed to a stop, a slightly annoyed look on his face.
“Lemme guess, kid,” the man said, stepping out of his truck, “you want a ride?
Matthew nervously reached back to scratch the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah, actually. I’m heading toward Los Angeles but just a lift to the nearest-”
“Yeah, yeah,” the man waved his hand in dismissal, “just get in.”
Matthew smiled, rushing forward to shake the guy’s hand. “Thank you, thank you, I seriously thought I was going to die out here tonight, you’re a saint, really-”
“Come on, kid, I don’t have all day.”
“Of course, of course,” Matthew backed off, hopping in the passenger seat. The boy decided that it’d be best if he kept quiet for now. Instead, he let his eyes wander around the pickup, eventually landing to study the driver. The man was fairly well built, at least more so than Matthew himself. He had to be in his mid-to-late-twenties. Honey blond stubble dotted the man’s face, matching the color of messy blond waves pulled back into a ponytail. To top off his rustic look, the sleeves of his flannel overshirt had been ripped off. It hung open, layered over a dirt-stained wifebeater and work jeans. Behind his sunglasses, Matthew could see his tired eyes, deep with bags, focused straight ahead on the road.
“What’s your name, kid,” asked the man, breaking the silence
“Matthew.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Matthew. M’name’s Mark. Pretty lucky I happened to come along, huh? What were you doing out in the desert this late?”
“Oh you know,” Matthew hesitated, “sightseeing,” he tested.
“Oh really?” Mark glanced at him. Matthew awkwardly looked away. He obviously didn’t buy that one…
“How old are you, Matthew?”
“I don’t really think-”
“Sixteen? Seventeen?”
“I’m actually nineteen, thanks,” Matthew grumbled.
“Nineteen… a little older than the average runaway, but I still think it’s plausible, ain’t that right?”
“I’m a legal adult, I can go where I damn please.”
“Settle down, kid,” Mark blinked, “I ain’t gonna turn you in. You’re right, you’re a legal adult. I’m just curious is all. It’s not every day you see some skinny little stick like you ballsy enough to go askin’ truckers to take him three hundred miles out from the desert. If you’re trying to keep your little runaway thing a secret then you’re gonna have to try a little harder, kid.”
Matthew chewed at his bottom lip, keeping silent. He took off his glasses and vigorously rubbed at the lenses with the edge of his tee-shirt. He simultaneously kicked his backpack around with his feet, smushing it into the corner.
“Okay, then how bout we make this a game. I’ll tell you something about me and then you tell me something about you. Then we’ll be equal. You told me you’re nineteen. So I’m twenty-five. I do a bit of ranching, hanging around a lot of the places out here. I happen to be on a vacation period. I was going to rot at home for a week but a visit to Los Angeles might be a little more exciting,” he shrugged.
“You don’t have to take me all the way to LA. Just into town would be fine,” Matthew mumbled, sliding his glasses back on.
“Hey now, that wasn’t the deal. You tell me ‘bout yourself, remember?”
“I didn’t agree to anything.”
“Fine, then, I’ll keep going,” Mark smiled. “I’m not from Vegas. I actually grew up in Calgary; you know, up in Canada? My grandparents had a farm of sorts a little ways out from the city. I liked going horseback riding. Still do, actually. Not that I have the time for it much anymore. But after my grandparents died, my uncle sold off the farm and skipped town with the money. My parents split not long after. It didn’t make sense to hang around. Came down here lookin’ for an adventure. So thanks for the adventure, Matthew, I’ve been waiting for one since I arrived.”
Matthew continued to look out the window, watching the dirt billow up into a dusty cloud, trailing behind them. The sun barely peaked over the horizon, the dark reds and oranges swirling in with the twilight blue.
“I’m from Calgary, too,” he decidedly spat out. Mark looked over, just to see if the boy meant to say anything else. He was still looking out the window.
“I’ve made it two thousand one hundred kilometers already. Can you believe that? Two thousand,” whispered Matthew. He leaned on door, finally facing Mark again. Mark didn’t say anything, patiently waiting for Matthew to open up.
“Let’s just say that I had high expectations held to my name, my mother is a whore, and my old man thinks I’m a fairy. I guess you can say that I’m just running away from my problems. I’m so pathetic, I know, I know. But they’re two thousand kilometers behind me and that’s good enough for me.”
Mark nodded. He didn’t want to push him. It wasn’t that he particularly cared, so much as he was genuinely curious.
“What are you going to do once you get to LA?” Mark drummed his fingers along the edge of the steering wheel. Lights shimmered right along the horizon as the city of Las Vegas came into view. He flipped his headlights on.
“Rent an apartment. Find a job. I’ll figure it out. I’ve got enough money to start up.”
“Doesn’t sound very stable,” Mark mused, “look, kid, I’m all up for taking you out to California, but I’d like to get packed and have a rest. It’s a five hour drive and I’ve been at work all day”
Matthew opened his mouth to protest but Mark shook his head.
“Now hold your tongue and hear me out. I know what you’re going to say. You want me to leave you downtown and you’ll find another way to out to Los Angeles. Yeah, well, you got me hooked into your little adventure and I have no intention of backing out now. You can crash at my place tonight and we’ll leave in the morning.” Mark spared a glance at Matthew as they turned onto a paved road. Matthew read him loud and clear. He wasn’t asking, he was telling him the plan.
Matthew rolled the idea around in his mind and eventually shrugged. What did he have to lose? He smirked cheekily.
“I didn’t agree to anything.”