The Happy Happy Village

Homecoming

-The Businessman's Guide to Hitchhiking-

August 24th 1964

As miserable as rain can sometimes be when it pours, rain is mostly seen as a blessing of the sky. It's a water source which Florida's vegetation heavily depends on. After it falls, plants become green, grass will grow, and the trees survive and thrive. After a nice short rest in the guest house, Lucile and I began our return trip home as we walked the soaked dirt path to the highway. The air had become suddenly crisp, like an early day of fall. It was a lovely Monday Morning, a fresh start after what Lucile and I went through.

We never truly said goodbye to Happy Happy Village or even thank them for the hospitality they provided me, not a single word passed our lips since the tragedy that was the wedding. We left quietly for the villagers to decide what to do next. Who knew what they were even doing then, we weren't there to see. It was their decision for what came next for their future. As for us, it was time for me to take Lucile home. Back to Elwood.

We emerged out of the forest and on the side of the open highway. No cars passed by to greet us. We were filthy from head to toe, like we were actually lost out in the Florida wilderness. We were both soaked in rain, our hair was a wild mess, and I just couldn't debate whose clothes were filthier. I'd call it a tie. I carried my own heart, still inside its jar. I held it close by to hear it beating. It was strange seeing something vital being removed from your body and jarred up, but by then I was far used to it.

The highway remained empty, just like it was two days prior. Typical at this hour of the morning. Without a car to drive, our only method of traveling was hitchhiking (a method I would only advise you to only do as an absolute last resort.) Surprisingly, the car Jake and I rode out towards the city was no longer on the side of the road. Funny how he comes back to get the car but didn't even try to look for me. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did get the job of a top of the line businessman. I didn't care, he wasn't my friend anymore (or at all really).

Like the real hitch hikers, we waited for a car to drive by. None came for about a solid half hour, but that time was well spent when we saw one coming out from the city. I was quite glad we didn't have to wait any longer than 30 minutes. I passed the heart down to Lucile to hide behind her back. Didn't want to scare the driver away with anything out of the ordinary and disturbing. By hiding the heart, I could at least spare some drama. The vehicle was an old brown pickup truck, the kind hillbillies would use to haul their stuff as well as sometimes their crazy kin. The trucker probably had some business to attend to in the city, but it wasn't any of my business.

Usually, what a hitch hiker would do, is hold out his/her hand and make a thumbs middle (I don't even know what else to call it) It was basically a nice way of signaling an oncoming driver, "Hey buddy, pull over so I can hitch a ride!" a real nice way of putting it. But I didn't make this so called "Thumbs middle", I stood out in the middle of the road where the driver could see me clear as day. He'd either be blind or stupid if he were to hit me with an eye witness (even if that said witness is a little girl).

I know full well that this is not what you're supposed to do to hitch hike or even do at all! Though there were no other cars coming, I advise that you do not just stand in the middle of a highway, ever! You could say that it was really stupid on my part, but I didn't care. I was impatient as well as desperate, I really didn't want to wait for the next passer. Who knew how long that would take with this kind of traffic?

The truck was slowing down now, clearly I had gotten his attention in the most dangerous manner. The vehicle slowed down, and down, until I felt the heat of the radiator 1 foot away. The driver inside rolled down his window, revealing an old grey haired country farmer with an attitude. He didn't look too menacing, only a little bit pestered that I delayed his trip by stopping him at the start of his return trip. I walked over to his door as he exchanged me an odd look.