Continuous Misfortune

Romeo & Juliet

        Clint Lawerence lived in his van, worked in his van and would, someday, die in his van. He was a film maker, not a very popular one. Making mostly documenteries about the abstratct, unnoticed, under appreciated people of this world. So he drove cross country, his camera rolling at all times, only stopping for him to change out the film or camera, looking for his next story. Clint drove down the highway with no real destination just waiting for destiny to tell him which way to turn and when to stop. He pulled off the highway and onto a long stretch of road with nothing of much signifigance sitting on it. As he drove he notice two hitch hikers with suitcases, they looked to be teenagers, dirty and tired and just what he needed.

        "You kids need a ride?" Clint asked pulling over.

        "Yeah, you're not gonna kill us are you?" One of the hitchhikers asked. He was a tall boy with very dark brown hair and light blue eyes that were illuminated by the griminess of his face. His clothes were nice, very nice, name brand, but they were filled with wholes and discolored from dirt.

        "I would tell you no whether I planned to kill you or not."

        "I guess," The boy looked uncertainly at the other hitchhiker. A girl, with a small frame and short messy blonde hair, and eyes that matched the mud that covered her boots.

        "Look, do you two need a ride or not?" Clink asked, "I'm not going anywhere in particular so your destination is my destination."

        "Yeah, we're comin'" The boy opened the door but the girl grabbed his shirt and hissed something under her breath and gave a suspicious look to Clint. "It'll be okay, come on." The girl rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag and got in next to him and closed the door.

        "So where are you two going?" Clint asked putting the van in drive.

        "Mexico," the boy said, Clint looked over at them confused.

        "What buisness  do you have in Mexico."

        "We're getting married there."

        "Okay we can probably swing that, are your parents going to come looking for you?"

        "Mine won't, but his will." The girl said.

        "Okay, you got names?"

        "If you don't mind we'd like to keep them to ourselves." The boy said

        "Yeah," they drove in silence a while, every now and again Clint would look over at the kids, there was a vibe these two put off, Clint couldn't place it, Clint couldn't place it, but he was intrigued. After driving an hour or two in silence Clint pulled into a truck stop parking lot.

        "Let's get you kids something to eat, they have a good buffet here." Clint said, he threw on his hat that he had fixed with a camera a few months back when he had been doing a documentery on a gypsy who had a vast knowledge of astro-physics, that lady was everywhere. The kids looked at eachother and shrugged getting out of the car and walking into the truck stop behind Clint.

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        "So why Mexico?" Clint asked as he bit into a chicken leg.

        "Huh?" The boy asked.

        "Why Mexico, why not like Las Vegas or Canada?"

        "Isn't Mexico where everyone goes when they don't want to be found?"        

        "Well there's Florida,"

        "We're from Florida." The girl muttered twirling spagettii onto her fork.

        "But I picked you up in Colorado."

        "We've had rides before, we rode the bus till we ran out of money in Chicago, then there was this hippie woman who dropped us off in Colorado, she moved there for leagalized pot I guess." The boy shrugged.

        "Hm, you kids have some luck."

        "What do you mean?" Juliet asked.

        "Most kids don't make it far, they get killed or kidnapped or break up or chicken out. But you two, you two, you're the lucky ones, you're gonna make it."

        "Well thank you.... I think." The boy said

        "No problem.' Clint smiled, " Ya know, I have to give you guys names, I can't just identify you as boy and girl all the time."

        "Okay..."

        "What about Romeo and Juliet, star crossed lovers, huh?"

        "Sure, whatever," Juliet smiled.

        "I am invited to your wedding right?"

        "Oh definately Clint," Romeo laughed.

        "Good,"