Sam had been hanging back, not sure he wanted her to see him yet, but the country was just too flat and wide open. He pulled off to the side of the road, but didn't shut off the motor.
The sky behind him was turning blacker and blacker, and the wind was starting to swirl around him. It was pretty obvious that a major storm cell was catching up to them, and it would likely be pouring sheets of water in a few minutes. Now might be an obvious, unsuspicious time to catch up to her.
Andi had heard the motor throbbing for some time, and was surprised when no truck had appeared. She was sure there was only one vehicle. No one had passed her, and there hadn't been any places for a vehicle to turn off the road. It worried her a bit. She didn't want any kind of confrontation today.
Suddenly, the truck was in sight, and rapidly pulled up beside her. The man alone in the cab rolled down the passenger side window, and said hello. Andi returned the greeting, but kept walking.
"I know it's not always safe to accept rides from strangers who suddenly appear on lonely roads," Sam began, "But it looks like one heck of a cloudburst is about to hit us. You want to stay dry until it passes?"
Andi's logical inclination was to decline, and hope he'd go away, but the wall of black was almost to them. Lightning was flashing, and the roar of thunder was almost deafening. Large hailstones began to fall nearby. She hesitated.
"I'll stop here until it passes, and hand you the truck keys. This looks like one storm that could get you more than just wet."
Andi made her decision. She opened the truck's door, swung herself up onto the seat, and rolled up the window, just as the first curtain of rain enveloped them. She placed her pack strategically between herself and the driver. She didn't fasten her seat belt. He turned off the engine, and tossed her the keys.
It was suddenly so dark in the cab that she could barely make out the driver's features, even though he was only a couple of feet away from her. He looked to be about fifty, clean-shaven, and dressed for the outdoors in jeans and a plaid shirt.
"I know this is not a comfortable circumstance for you, but please don't shoot me inside here. Who knows where the bullet might go."
She tried to see the look on his face. It was hard to tell. "Why do you think I have a gun?"
"I don't know if you do. What I do guess is that you've been traveling on your own for some time, and have probably had more than one encounter with someone who would like to take advantage of your lone, young woman status. Therefore, your pack probably contains a gun, a knife, some pepper spray, or some other weapon to dissuade such advances. That's only wise.
"My name's Sam. I'm on my way home to Maryland. I am a sheriff - I can show you my badge and I.D. - but I'm not a sheriff here, of course. Unfortunately, being a sheriff in this world doesn't mean you're not also a bad guy. However, Maud thinks I'm harmless - maybe not the best testimonial for a law enforcement person to have, but that's what she says. The bad guys have found cause not to believe her, and I guess that's what counts."
The storm was so loud around them that she had to listen carefully to catch all his words. He seemed very relaxed, and - if she was going on first impressions - the "harmless" judgment of "Maud" (whoever she was) seemed apt. However, she had enough experience to wait for second impressions.
"Do you have a name you answer to?" Sam asked. "I don't need one, but I was going to say (here I insert a name), would you like half of my deli sandwich, and some coffee. I offer the same without a name. It looks like this storm may last a while, and I think it's a pretty good sandwich."
He reached behind the seat, and pulled out a thermos and a small cooler. He unwrapped the sandwich, and offered her half. It did look good. She took it. The thermos had two cups. He poured a little coffee in each, and handed one to her.
She took a bite. "My name's Andi Oliver. Andi is A-N-D-I, Oliver is really Olivier - French sounding - but people don't seem to always get that, so I usually just say Oliver."
"Nice to meet you, A-N-D-I. I like that."
They ate and drank in silence. Hailstones almost the size of golf balls were plummeting the truck. "I heard your truck a long time before I saw you. What took you so long?"
He chuckled, a little self-consciously, hoping to cover the lie. "Uh, I had a little personal business to attend to, and it took a while to find a bush tall enough to crouch behind."
"You didn't shut off the motor?"
Smart girl. "I thought it was going to be a quick side trip, and there was nobody around. I just hopped out."
That seemed to satisfy her. "Who's Maud?"
"Maud?"
"You said that she said you were harmless. What kind of character reference is she?"
"Well, she's known me a long time, through both good and bad situations. She should know."
"Is Maud your wife?"
He took a minute to answer. "No, she's just a friend. I am married, but not to her."
"So, she's...?"
"A friend. I believe in marriage vows, and I've been keeping them. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't believe so strongly, and she's been fu... She practices marriage-type stuff with another man in town. I don't believe in divorce, and she doesn't want one. She gets the somewhat limited prestige of being the sheriff's wife, while having her own 'friends.' I would like Maud to be more than just a friend, but it's out of my hands."
That seemed to end that particular conversation. "So, Andi, are you headed somewhere in particular?"
"I'm not sure. I've just been wandering for a while. I have a brother in Alaska, and I thought maybe I was going to see him, but my feet seem to keep me moving east, so... I don't know."
"Where's home?"
"East, but that's kind of complicated."
"Well, 'East' is a big place."
"Oh, I didn't mean it was complicated where I was born. That was on Long Island - the Hamptons. My parents still live there. My father is an investment banker, although I don't think the Market has been very good to him lately. Anyway, I haven't been back in a couple of years, so I don't know if it really qualifies as 'home,' anymore. I've been on the road, moving around quite a bit."
"Are you on a vision quest, maybe?"
"Vision quest?"
"Well, I don't mean exactly that. When some American Indian boys come of age, they have a ceremony they go through. They don't eat for several days, then they go out and stay all by themselves in the wilderness for some time. They try not to think about anything in their past. Their hunger and isolation bring on visions, and they come away with an idea of what they want to do in life.
"I probably got some of that wrong and, of course, I wasn't thinking of you doing something like that. I was just thinking that being off by yourself for a long time, just taking in what you see and experience, might lead you to some understanding of who you are, what you want to do, and who you want to be. So, kind of a young woman 'vision quest?'"
Andi was quiet for a few moments. "Actually, I do know a little about vision quests. They came up in a discussion I was having with somebody in New Mexico, a year or so ago. Well, the person I was talking to disputed my claim to knowing anything about them - said that the name was the only thing about them that I got right in the whole conversation. That may have been true, but I'd certainly heard about the concept, somewhere,.
"Anyway, I hadn't considered my journey like that, but it's true that I'm just kind of thinking my way along the road. Maybe it is my vision quest."
Sam reach behind the seat. "Changing the subject to one a little closer to reality, you want a brownie? Store-bought, but pretty good." He held one out to her.
She took it. "Thanks."
He offered more coffee, but she declined. He glanced around as he nibbled on his treat. "I would say the storm may be almost past us. I can actually see you way over on the other side of the seat, and the thunder has abated enough that I can make out what you're saying. I think there's a town just a little ways ahead. You want to continue your walk, or you want a ride?"
She hesitated. 'You're going into town?"
"At least that far. I'm not sure what I'm doing next. Tell you what. If you want to ride, I'll roll down my window. Then, if you decide you need to shoot me, the bullet probably won't ricochet all over the cab."
She smiled, kind of a sad smile. "I don't think I'll need to shoot you - assuming I even have a gun, of course. I'll take the ride."
"Good. It may still be a little soggy out there."
She handed the keys back to him, and he started the pickup. They rode along in silence for a mile or so.
"You said you didn't know what you'd do when we get to town? What did you mean?"
He took a minute. "Let me get my thoughts together. Well, let's see. I'm kind of anxious to get back to Maud. I've been away quite a while, and I miss her, strange as our relationship is. On the other hand, I've got some friends who live right near here, that I haven't seen in some time. This isn't a part of the country that I'm likely to get to very often - if ever, again! - so I'd kind of like to say hello, at least.
"I don't know exactly where they live, but I suspect somebody in town will know. I guess I'll go try to find them. If they're around, and they want to see me, I guess I'd stay a spell and visit. If not, I'd get back on the road,, headed east.
"How about you, staying or going on?"
"I don't know. I usually stop if I'm getting short of money, or if I find something particularly interesting. I'm okay on money, for now. I've never been here before, so I guess I'll just look around a bit, and then decide."
"That sounds like as good a plan as I've got."
They could see the first building ahead. "You want to ride in in style, or grandly appear by yourself, off the open road?"
She giggled. "Maybe let me off here, and I'll make my own unique entrance."
He pulled over, and stopped the truck. "I've really enjoyed talking with you, Emma. Wouldn't mind bumping into you, again, some time."
She stared at him. "Emma?"
"What?"
"You called me Emma."
He seemed flustered. "I'm sorry, Andi. Guess I was thinking about something else. Andi Olivier, of Long Island, and points west. I didn't forget."
He drove off as she was adjusting her pack.
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