Thumb out. 

I watched the cars zoom by, trying to forget the cold in my bare hand.

As a part of an experiment, I was testing to see if I was more likely to be picked up if I removed my hat and gloves.

The answer: Yes

A bald guy in a van drove by, and made a forward motion with his eyes, looking behind me and then back at me.

Oh! Once again, a car had pulled up behind me without me noticing.

I grabbed my bag and ran back. My mind was negotiating with my eyes, insisting that this can’t be real.

The car that had stopped to pick up a young hitchhiker was by far the most expensive car I had ever seen.

The exterior was sharp and angular, a matte grey. The inside was all subtle and yet powerfully Red.

I got in.

We sat, listening to the purr of the engine as we flowed past the other cars.

No words were spoken.

Time was lost in the flow of the moment.

“Where are you going?”

His words brought me out of the trance.

“Guelph.”

“Then we’re going the wrong way.”

I leaned against the wind, walking down the highway ramp and deep in thoughts.

I had just been helped by a man who was further along the path than me. Yet on the same path.

He had recognized my determination and my search for perfection, as a mirrored by his own.

Once more, thumb up and out, this time glove on.

I watched the cars zoom by.