“Not if I can help it. It’s just the next big city on my way to Arkansas.”

“You still have family in St. Louis?”

“If you call family a bunch of cutthroats who don’t care if you’re dead or alive. I have no need to see any of them again.” He looked down. “So, what are you, hobo or tramp?”

“Neither,” I said. “I’m just walking.”

“Hitchhiking’s faster.”

“I’m in no hurry.”

He nodded. “Where do you sleep?”

“Depends on the day. A lot of cheap motels. Sometimes in the fields.”

“There’s a trick to that too,” he said. “Ever been hassled by the cops?”

“Not yet. I’ve been mugged.”

He frowned. “Me too. Comes with the territory. But cops have been a bigger problem for me. The most important thing about sleeping on the road is to stay out of sight.”

I already knew this, of course, but I didn’t tell him as I wanted to hear what he had to say.

“Trees are usually your best bet for cover. I always scope out my sleeping spot from all angles to make sure I can’t be seen from the road. I always get up early, usually before the sun, to get back on the road. Nothing worse than having some itchy, tin badge wake you up at three in the morning to tell you to get going, regardless of the weather or how far you’re going to have to walk to get to the next exit.”

“I haven’t had that happen yet,” I said.

“You will. Another good place to sleep is under highway overpasses. There’s usually a ledge up top that makes a good bunk. Of course, first you need to check to see if someone else has slept there. Most transients leave a trail of beer cans, cardboard, old clothing, you know. If you’ve been on the road, you’ve seen it.” He shook his head. “Once I found a noose. Thankfully, there wasn’t a body attached to it.

“What you’ve got to do is make sure there isn’t any feces. That’s the big one. Also, if it’s cloudy, I check the ground for water trails, just to make sure that the bridge doesn’t leak.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I said. “So is it hard getting picked up?”

“Sometimes. Like anything, you’ll have your days when the fish aren’t biting, but not usually. You might say I’m good at it. Hitchhiking is all about psychology. For instance, I used to have a red sleeping bag. I had to get rid of it. Red, yellow, and orange signify danger and people are less likely to pick you up if they see that color. I’ve never seen like a research study on that, but I tell you, I’ve proven it.