Shane’s parents drop him off at the train station with money and instructions to take the train to his Aunt Sophie’s place for the holidays. The minute they drive off, he walks out again, leans against a pole, and throws out his thumb. Having just turned eighteen, he is, as he regularly reminds himself, now a fully legal adult and quite capable of having his own adventure. In the few days and nights it takes him to hitchhike all the way, he gets to know some very interesting people. Hippies, conmen, an ex-teacher ... and also the dog Jimmy. He learns there are more to people than meets the eye, and the world is rather bigger than his cosseted upbringing led him to believe. By the time he arrives at Aunt Sophie’s place, he has lost his virginity, acquired a dog and a cousin, and has the pleasing probability of a sweet summer romance to look forward to.

A Hitch in Time

The driver looked at me through cat’s eye glasses. She must have been eighty years old. I don’t think she let that stop her, and apparently, it didn’t slow her down much either. We took off in a roar of exhaust. The car itself was red, sleek, small, and a convertible, but the entire thing except for where we sat must have been engine. Huh, maybe she’d at least act like an adult.


“My name is Ruth Barge. That’s Miss Barge to you and none of that teenage Largy Bargy crap they used to call me. I was a high school history teacher. Who are you and why aren’t you in school today?” Miss Barge glared at me and I blinked innocently, reeking of reefer, still hung over, and with a bad case of the munchies. And I wasn’t a virgin anymore either!


“I’m uh. Shane. My name is Shane.”


One eyebrow went up to her hairline—was that a wig? Oh God, no. Yep.


“My full name, Miss Barge, is,” and I gave her the whole thing, watching her eyebrow lift even higher.


Chapter 6