Thanks For The Ride Kid By H. Jason Schulz Copyright©2012 H. Jason Schulz All Rights Reserved Smashwords Edition Prologue: This events described in this story take place in the early 1960s along the border between Arizona and New Mexico and is a tale often told by my father. ... I grew up in a small town in the rocky mountains of Arizona. There are several small towns speckling the mountain tops. When I was about sixteen years old I bought my first car. It was an old 1950s Buick and I bought it for $75 - That was a lot of money back then. It had belonged to an older couple who I often did odd jobs for. I was driving this car when one of the most frightening events of my life took place. I had been dating a pretty little girl in the next town and had been in that town at a dance with her. Back then there were many dances. The town was about fifteen miles away from my home and was spread out along a two lane road that wound through the dense pine forest. At the dance someone turned on a radio set and we listened as a report was broadcast that a dangerous prisoner had escaped while in route to a New Mexico Military Prison. We were advised to stay indoors until the prisoner was apprehended. To my dismay, the dance immediately broke up and everyone went home. I took my date home and walked her to her door. Her father was there to meet us and asked if I wouldn't care to stay the night at their place on account of the dangerous man that may be lurking about. In those days that was unheard of! No one would let a boy and girl sleep under the same roof unless they were married or brother and sister. I knew people were scared if this man was willing to risk the talk that may go around town as a result. I thanked him for his concern but told him that I had a full tank of gas and would not stop for anyone on the way home. He shook my hand and thanked me for getting his daughter home safely, then he shut the door and I heard two locks click and the porch light turned off. I stood there a second more wondering if I shouldn't have taken him up on his offer, but decided that the chances of running into the escaped fellow were slim. I wasn't particularly afraid. I figured that the man would most likely try to get far out of town so as not to be seen. I walked to my car and hopped inside. I heard a rustle from the back seat which made me spin around in alarm! It was just a cat who had hopped into the back seat. I shooed it out and thought to myself that all these people were finally getting to me and making me jumpy. With a “Humpf!” I started my car. It purred like the kitten I had just chased away. I slid it into gear, slowly let out the clutch and I was off down the road. I revved her up and pulled the shifter down to second. Soon I was speeding down the highway. As the lights of town grew fainter in the rear view mirror and the road ahead became darker I started to feel a little anxious. I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the dark, or maybe it was that the Buick was handling a little squirrely. I felt it more pronounced as I rounded a corner just before a mile long, straight stretch of road. I was close to the end of the straight part of the road when I knew for sure something was wrong someplace in the Buick's back end.
Suddenly I heard a bang! The rear end bounced and then I heard the flop of a flat tire. I remember being more annoyed at that moment than scared. I came to a stop and almost swore, because first of all I didn't have a flashlight and it was really dark. Secondly, I'd have to wait until next Friday to be able to replace it. I had a spare tire, if it could be called a tire, but it was in pretty bad shape. I decided to get it over with as soon as I could instead of sitting there in the dark so I got out and tossed my jacket into the back seat and then opened the trunk. I pulled out the spare and set it on the ground. Then I felt around until I found the jack and lug wrench. I took those around to the tire and loosened the nuts. Next I slid the jack under the axle, I had to feel around for a good spot and I knew I was getting my good clothes really dirty. I jacked up the car up until I could put my hand completely under the flat tire. These old cars were heavy and the jacks were not so good so it was hard work. Once the car was up in the air I rested for a moment before continuing. In the silence I heard a noise. “Tap, tap, tap, tap.” It was way off in the distance somewhere but it was there none the less. I pondered on the sound for a moment then shrugged my shoulders and continued working on the tire. It took me a while to find the lug wrench it was so dark, but soon I had the flat off of the car. In the silence, while I was feeling for the spare, I heard it again but this time it was closer and louder. “Tap, tap, tap, tap.” I strained to look through the darkness toward the sound but to no avail. Then suddenly and like an anvil to the head, it hit me. That tapping sound could be nothing other that the sound of someone jogging down the asphalt toward me! Instantly the adrenaline shot through my body and I was all motion! The spare was now on the car but where were the nuts! I searched frantically all over the ground – gone! Then I remembered that I had placed them in my pocket so that I would know where they were. I heard the foot falls closer and they seemed to increase in speed! Oh no! He was now running toward me! I pulled two lug nuts from my pocket and as fast as I could spun them into place – no time for the others, two would have to do! The foot falls were so loud now that I thought that at any moment the man would be on top of me! I tossed the flat into the trunk with a “Thud!”along with the lug wrench. Next, I lowered the car as fast as is humanly possible and at the very last minute, kicked the jack out from under the car, scooping it up and tossing it into the passenger seat as I leaped into the driver's seat and started the engine! At the precise time that the engine started I heard someone yell out! I quickly revved the engine and dropped the clutch! I heard the trunk bang shut as my car lurched forward. The tires squealed and smoke rolled out behind me as I sped away! I glanced in the rear view mirror, fully expecting to see a man running after me, but by the light from my tail lights I could see that there was no one behind my car, only a little smoke from the tires. “Whoo-we!” I shouted out loud in relief as my old Buick picked up speed and the adrenaline started to recede. Twenty minutes later I pulled into the dirt driveway of my house. I laughed for a moment at how my mind had really been playing tricks on me to have actually heard foot falls and a yell! I put the keys into my pocket I felt the other lug nuts and then I remembered the jack that I had tossed into the passenger seat. I was about to put the remaining lug nuts on the rim and return everything to their proper place in the trunk when I noticed the mess that I had made of my clothes. With a sigh I went into the back where the wash was done and washed out my clothes as best I could and then hung them out to dry. By then I was too tired to do anything but sleep, so that's what I did. In the morning I went out to find my trunk wide open. This puzzled me, and I mentally went over the events of last night. Was I sure the trunk had been closed when I went around back to clean up? I
pondered this question as I spun the remaining lug nuts onto the wheel then put the jack and the lug wrench back into the trunk and closed it securely. Imagine my surprise as I went around to the back of the house only to find that my clothes were missing from the line! Someone had taken my only suit! On the line was a hastily scratched note that read “Thanks for the ride kid!� Later that day I heard that a neighbor had had their car stolen from their house last night! The frightening truth was this; that the escaped prisoner had been running down the road as I changed the flat tire and must have jumped into my trunk as I sped away! I had unwittingly given the escaped prisoner a ride! What would have happened if I had taken the time to put away the jack last night? I shutter to think. The End