‘Oh honey, look, a hitchhiker!’ Mia pointed out the window of my beat-up sedan. Sure enough, there he was, like he’d been drawn straight out of a Mark Twine novel: bedraggled hair, canvas pants, thumb sticking out.
I slowed the car down slightly, still a fair way from him on the straight road.
‘Do you think that’s a good idea?’ I asked her, nervously.
‘Why not!’ she giggled. ‘It’ll be a great story!’
‘That’s what I’m worried about,’ I muttered. ‘That they’re gonna fly in news crews from across the country to tell our story.’
She playfully smacked me on the arm and rolled down her window, calling out to the man to get into the back seat with her.
‘Nice to meet you,’ he beamed once he’d gotten in. ‘I didn’t think anyone would stop.’
‘Just happy to help,’ I grimaced, shifting the car into drive again.
Something went bang, the radio flipped out and the engine cut off.
‘Dammit,’ I swore, twisting the key. Nothing.
‘Something wrong with your car?’ the hitchhiker asked, innocently enough. I softened my glare slightly and looked back at him.
‘Yeah, something’s wrong with it.’
‘You want me to have a look?’ he asked. ‘I used to hang out near a car mechanic around the Bentleigh area for a few years.’
‘Uh…’ I shot Mia a look, and she shrugged. ‘Sure. Sure, why not.’
He grinned and hopped out, while I popped the hood.
‘Is this a good idea?’ she asked me.
‘He’s your hitchhiker,’ I shrugged, and she frowned at me.
‘I think it’s electrical, actually,’ came his voice from the front of the car.
‘Can you fix it?’ I called back.
‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘Let me call a buddy, he did all of the auto-elec stuff for me if I needed him to. Shouldn’t be too much to ask of an auto electrical mechanic around Bentleigh , at least.’
‘Right,’ I frowned.
A car appeared in my rear-view mirror, and I gestured for Mia to look.
‘Oh cool, here’s my friend now!’ the hitchhiker waved at the car.
‘That was quick,’ I sighed to Mia. She frowned again.
‘We’re gonna be on the news, aren’t we?’
‘Yes. Yes we are.’