It was just a normal day at work. I served rude customers, I made good pizza, and I got paid minimum wage for it. My boss let me off around 9:00, per usual, and I got in my beat up Toyota truck and started heading home. Like i said, it was just a normal day- until I got about 15 minutes into my drive. Yes, usually someone would be pulling into their driveway after 15 minutes of driving, but for some odd reason I decided to move 45 minutes away from all of humanity. Anyway, after 15 minutes of driving, I was on the highway. I was blaring my Spotify "Windows Down" playlist that I had been working on for the past couple of days, head banging to a melodious, upbeat song, when I saw a dark shadow on the side of the road. Out of habit, I assumed it was some sort of animal that had decided to get the "death by car" article in the newspaper, so I slowed down. As I approached the animal, I realized it was not animal at all. It was a middle aged man with a thumb sticking up, telling me I was good at driving or something. Nobody was around, so I pulled to the side of the road a couple of yards ahead of him to see what his compliments were all about. I collected my phone-for safety reasons-before approaching this odd man. However, as I opened the door to get out, the passenger side door opened as well, and the shadowy figure jumped into my car. I freaked out, as anyone would, and proceeded to grab the nearest object that my hand could find. Lets just say I had finally found a use for my old college textbook, and that use was knocking this strange man upside the head.
I suppose I knocked him out and now, taking a closer look, I realized that this once shadowy figure was actually a thin man, probably in his 20's, who smelled as if he hadn't taken a shower since the last time I'd gotten a car wash. Which, to tell you the truth, was never. I had no idea what to do now. I couldn't just leave him on the side of the road, or he could easily be that "death by car" article in tomorrow's news. My strategy was to just tie him up with the seatbelt, so that he can't move and if we got in a crash he would still be safe. I took some deep breaths as I tied him up, also taking the time to examine him. He had fair skin, lighter than my near-vampire sister, his face was covered in dirt, and his clothes fit him as if he had been a winner on The Biggest Loser and hadn't ever gotten new ones. The seatbelt felt secure so I started the car and pulled onto the road.
After just a minute or so, the man started squirming around and slowly blinked his eyes. Me, being my awkward self, said nothing and just kept driving until he started mumbling, "What? Who are you? Why am I tied up?" My father told me to never talk to strangers, so I let him get more and more frustrated with me until I got worried that his restraints were getting too loose. I was confused though, at why he was so confused. Wasn't he trying to hijack my car? "Okay, hold on," I said firmly. "Aren't you trying to kidnap me or something?" He didn't respond, so I looked over at him and saw the same confusion in his eyes that were in mine. "No," he stuttered, "no, why would you think that? I was just hitchhiking, looking for a ride." I had heard of hitchhikers, but I didn't think they actually existed. It was all making sense now, he just needed a ride. My face turned redder than the tomatoes at work, my armpits decided to leak, and that laugh of mine I do when I'm embarrassed came out in its worst form. "Oh. I'm so sorry. Here, let me get you out of your-" but as I looked, he was already out of my master trap. Then, instead of yelling at me, he started laughing at a deafening volume. I knew at once this must be a case of a crazy nut-job who escaped the mental hospital. "Are you okay?" I asked him, even though I knew he probably wasn't. "Yes, i just find it funny how you thought I was going to steal your car and whatnot." He was beaming ear to ear, and I realized that I didn't even know the name of this slightly attractive guy. "Okay," I asked him, "if you aren't a crazy serial killer, then who are you?" Again, he laughed at my question, which I didn't find all that funny. He looked at me and said, "The name's Theodore. You can call me Theo." I didn't appreciate him telling me what to do so I retorted back, "I'll call you what I want to call you. I'll only call you Theo because Theodore is way too long." He gave another hearty laugh. He sure was one happy fellow for being without a home.
I was nearing my house, conversing with Theo. He had informed me that he did, in fact, have a home, he just chose not to use it. He told me that staying in one place for too long isn't good for the soul. Theo transformed in my mind, from a crazy hitchhiker to one of the wisest people I knew. He was content with the idea that he lived off of people like me. People stopping on the side of the road to pick up a stranger, someone to get him from point A to point B. He was courageous enough to trust his own instincts, and go where his heart told him to go. He was not bound by a job, or by a family, or by money. He was free in the idea of traveling where his feet took him. He told me to just drive home, and he would start another journey from there. I pulled up into my driveway, envious of Theo and his dreams. The only difference between him and I was that his dreams were not dreams at all, they were his life. I stopped my truck in front of my house, which to me was a safe haven, but Theo only saw an anchor, gluing its inhabitant down to its floorboards.
As we exited the truck, Theo looked at me and said, "Do you wish to join me?" No longer confused at his questions, I knew exactly what he was asking. He was asking me if I wanted to chase my dreams, as he does every day. Instead of thinking about it, and worrying of all the things that could go wrong, I took his hand and dropped all my anchors. I decided that it was time to live my dreams.
