Song Stories

Nowhere USA

     I jumped out of the 18-wheeler, grabbed my bag, and said goodbye to the trucker I had been riding with for the better part of the day. As he drove off down Interstate 49, I looked ahead at the desert dirt road ahead of me. Why I decided to try and hitchhike across the country is beyond me. Maybe I thought I'd find myself or, heaven hoping, find someone else. But so far all I've found are worn-out soles and dusty pants. And now I was standing down a lightless dirt road somewhere in nowhere USA at an hour when even the stars are getting tired. I took a breath of the cold night air and began my walk to God knows where. 

     I could feel the ground shift as a walked, earth that likely hadn't been touched in decades if not more. The silence of the road was deafening, only ever being broken by the occasional howl of a coyote reminding me that I am never alone, and never truly safe. As I walked on, even the moon and stars left me, as a thick fog rolled in to let them rest. Now I felt truly alone. 

     I walked for what felt like years, although it was probably only a few hours. All I ever saw was cold orange sand at my feet and the colder dusty fog in front of me. I entertained myself with thoughts of the west coast, seeing the warm oceans, the pretty girls, and the good food. But my mind couldn't help but wander towards what was out there with me. The coyotes made sure to remind me they were here, but they weren't what I was worried about. If I had anything to take away from my time hitchhiking and jumping from state to state, it's that I learned to respect legend. And boy were there legends to tell about this highway. There's a reason it was empty, and I really did not want to meet those reasons. 

     And as if on queue to mock my plight, two eerie lights like ghosts placed themselves at my back. I could feel my stomach drop below my ankles as I turned around. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, lack of any real food par beef jerky, and lack of cold water for, too long at least, but I truly thought I was dead. Little did I know what I was about to face was worse. 

     As the lights grew closer, some common sense took over and I realized that what was coming to me was not a being from the other side, but an old blue pickup. It slowed to a stop as it came up beside me, and a woman opened the door and stepped out. She looked me up and down and nodded, motioning me to climb into the driver's seat. I simply nodded and got in. As she climbed into the passenger seat, she picked up a .45 from off the dash and spoke. "You look innocent, but I ain't crazy, I'm just too tired to drive on alone." A cold chill came over me as she continued. "If you don't want me to shoot ya'" she said, raising her gun, "You'll keep both hands on that wheel." I simply nodded and started the engine as she got comfortable. She was sweet, with just enough poison, I wasn't sure just what to feel. 

     I have to admit it took me a while to begin to relax, it really isn't easy to let down your guard with someone with a gun in the car. As the hours dragged on, she became a little more trusting and put her gun by her door and finally fell asleep. And again I was left alone with my thoughts as all you could find on the radio was static. I truly contemplated life that night, I questioned what I'd done to get myself here. And as I drove into a sunrise, she woke up. 

     As she woke up, she reached over for her gun, eyeing me up and down again, but soon put it back down. She stretched some and just sat back. It would be another few hours before she said anything. After the silence became unbearable, we began to talk about living. She told me her name was Sarah. She said she was heading to San Antonio to see her kid brother. In her face, I could tell she cared a lot about him. We talked about family from there. I told her I didn't have much of any back home. We talked about me some too, about where I had been, what I had seen. I could tell she was impressed to hear about my journey. From New York to LA just by thumbing it was quite a feat, but I hadn't made it there just yet. I talked about the different things I've seen, from roaring rivers, soaring mountains, and lowly plains. I felt like I saw half the world, and yet it was only 1500 miles. 

     After a while, I pulled over and she drove some. I settled into the passenger seat and we got to talking again. She offered me a cigarette, and I smoked out a few while she talked to me about things she's seen. She talked to me about Jesus, how he had power to raise the dead. I laughed and nodded along. Maybe there was something there, maybe not, but I wasn't going to tell off my only ride in who knows how far. As she drove, we bonded through cigarettes, hamburgers and stories of life. She said she used to live on a ranch with her old man before he passed. She was mighty good with horses, and I could see how her face lit up when she talked about those times. I talked about how I bounced from farm to farm since the age of 16. How I've worked all over, from Alberta to Georgia and back again. 

     As the miles drew on, I could feel us getting more and more comfortable, and I dare say I started to like Sarah. As the sun began to set, she said that we were only about 5 hours away from the coast. Soon we could go our separate ways. I admit, when she said that, a part of me sank, I did not want to leave her yet. 

     We once again changed sides and I drove through the night. As the miles grew on, the fog finally began to clear, and above us, we could see the majesty of the stars. I pulled over and we hopped out. She grabbed some blankets from the back of the truck and we watched falling stars from her truck bed. As we watched, I couldn't help but hold her close. As she snuggled into my arms, I truly never wanted that moment to end. We laid out there and watched the milky way pass over us for hours. Finally, she broke the peace that was there and said we should get going before we fell asleep. 

     As the last few miles wound down, I felt sadder and sadder, I did not want this to end. I could only hope she felt the same way. She was silent for the rest of the way, which made me even sadder. I tried to tell myself that it was okay, if anything, it made for an enjoyable few days which is more than I could have asked for. As we entered areas with more and more infrastructure, the journey well and truly felt like it was coming to its end. 

     Before the sun rose, she told me to stop the car so we could watch the sunrise. I found a nice hill and stopped there. We got out and stood in front of the car, watching the sunrise. She once again found her way into my arms and snuggled into them. As the colours of dawn danced around us, she pulled my chin down and gave me a soft kiss, to my surprise and delight. From that moment I knew I was going to go with her no matter where she went, and she knew that too. She let out a sigh of relief before she spoke. She said, "I never would have shot ya'". Before I kissed her again, I said "I know, your gun it had no lead.".

-IT

Song: Nowhere USA by Dean Brody

Image Credit: Crystal Ruffu

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/498070040019670337/