Page 2 of The Hitchhikers
“Want me to walk you?”
“I’ll be fine.” She patted his shoulder.See? I’m doing so well.
The restroom smelled of mildew, the concrete floors gritty with sand, the shower stalls littered with empty containers of shampoo and slivers of soap. Alice kicked at the plastic curtain that clung to her legs and wished she could have showered in the RV, but Tom wanted them to use the campground facilities so they didn’t have to empty the tanks daily. She pulled on her shower cap and quickly washed in the tepid spray.
Alice had dried off, changed into fresh clothes, and was gathering her belongings when she heard theslap, slapof sandals. She stepped out of the shower area and was surprised to see the blond girl by the sink, who gasped and whirled around.
“Sorry,” Alice said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s all right.” The girl folded a small piece of paper towel and bent over to wrap it around the toe strap of her sandal. She winced. “Blisters. I forgot to pack Band-Aids.”
“We have a first aid kit in our RV. You’re welcome to come by.”
The girl straightened and bit her lip as she thought over the offer. She was pretty, with large blue eyes set in an elfin face, but she was extremely thin, her slender body swimming in the white baby-doll shirt that billowed around her midsection. She stood with her feet turned out.
“That’s nice of you, but I should ask my boyfriend.”
Alice waited while the girl brushed her hair and applied lip gloss, then slid everything into a colorful granny-square crocheted purse. She tucked the purse into her backpack, which was leaning against the wall, and shrugged it on.
The boy was waiting near the building when they walked out, arms crossed over his chest, sunglasses pushed up onto his head, and his backpack by his feet. A macrame belt held his jeans up on his narrow hips.
His dark eyes narrowed as he glanced between Alice and the girl. “You okay, babe?”
“Uh-huh.” The girl hooked her arm through his. “This lady has Band-Aids.”
Alice held out her hand. “Alice Bell.”
The girl was the first to shake it. “Ocean, and he’s Blue.”
Alice hid a smile. Hippies. Maybe on their way to work on one of the farms for the summer, or to a music festival. She shook the boy’s hand. Warm, with the scrape of calluses. His knuckles were scarred and rough. He slid his hand back into his front pocket.
“Did you want to get them now?” Alice said. “We’re not far.”
Ocean turned to the boy, who gave a small nod. She walked alongside Alice, and the boyfriend followed. They exchanged pleasantries about the weather and the campground’s beautiful setting, the mossy paths. Ocean spoke in a breathy voice—her Canadian accent stretching her vowels and lifting the ends of her sentences, which Alice thought was charming.
A young woman in a halter top and hot pants was walking toward them. She paused to pick a wildflower, adding a few fern fronds to make a small bouquet. When she grew closer and noticed Blue behind them, she gave him a flirty smile, and a sweet “Hi.”
Ocean turned and scowled, but she needn’t have worried. Blue ignored the girl and moved up to walk on the other side of Ocean, draping his tanned arm over her shoulder. Alice looked away when he whispered something into Ocean’s ear.
Tom was sitting by the fire when they entered the site and got to his feet, eyebrows pulled together, and a curious smile playing at the corner of his lips. He met Alice’s gaze.
“I found some friends in need of a first aid kit.” She turned to the couple. “This is my husband, Tom. I’ll get the Band-Aids for you.”
When she came back out of the RV, they were sitting at the picnic table, drinking bottles of cream soda. Ocean doctored her feet while Tom attempted to engage Blue in conversation, but the boy’s answers were brief. He was from a small town up Northern BC, worked in a hardware store—they were on vacation and wanted to see more of the country before settling down.
“You’re hitchhiking?” Tom said.
“Yeah.”
“I hope you’re checking in with your families,” Tom said.
Blue glanced at Ocean, who looked stricken. She blinked a few times like she was on the verge of tears. Blue put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.
“My dad’s a drunk, my mom ran off, and Ocean’s parents are dead.”
Tom lowered his bottle and stared at them aghast. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. We have each other,” Blue said with his chin lifted. Ocean gazed up at him, her eyes soft. He kissed her forehead. “There’ll be three of us soon.”
