Page 107 of The Hitchhikers

Jenny smiled back and continued her walk. She’d wanted abrother. She touched her belly. Maybe she and Simon would have another child together one day. It could be a boy.

Then she remembered the things he’d said, about her “pretend family,” and it hurt all over again.

CHAPTER 38JENNY

Alice cut Simon’s hair shorter, doing away with the long bangs, and sweeping it back. Once he’d shaved off his beard and mustache and dyed his hair, he looked like Elvis—but Elvis when he was younger and in those Hawaiian movies. Not how he looked in his Vegas shows. Her mom had said it was drugs and that Elvis didn’t take care of himself, but Jenny had wondered about that. Maybe he had people like her mom who made him do things he didn’t want to.

Jenny mixed and applied the dye she’d picked for herself, then sat on their bed and waited with the plastic bag covering her hair. Simon shared his plans. When it got dark, they’d walk into town.

“There’s probably a bar or something open. People in small towns like this, they leave their keys in their vehicles all the time.”

“What if we can’t find a car?”

“We’ll keep trying.”

She didn’t know what that meant. How far would he go? She didn’t want him to break into someone’s house. She decided not to ask. They’d find a car with someone’s keys in it.

Jenny watchedThe Young and the Restlesswith Simon. On the other bed, Alice also seemed to be watching, but Jenny wasn’t sure if she was truly paying attention.

It was time for Jenny to rinse her hair. She didn’t want to usethe towels because she might get color on them, so she squeezed most of the water out by hand, and left it damp.

Simon whistled when she came back into the room. “Nice, babe.”

She gave Alice the items she’d bought for her at the drugstore and Alice took them into the bathroom and had a shower. She came out wearing the new T-shirt. She kept pulling it away from her front like she thought it was too tight, but Jenny thought it looked good.

Simon got up to peer out the side window, the one closest to Alice’s bed. “Some dude just backed up a Buick and knocked over part of the fence.” He laughed.

Jenny knew he meant the little white picket fences that lined the lawn in front of each teepee. She also knew what car he meant.

“He’s staying in the yellow teepee. I saw him parking this morning. He was trying to get me to talk.”

Simon turned around. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“It was on my way to the store. When I came back, he wasn’t outside anymore, and then we were busy coloring our hair. I forgot.”

“What did he say?”

“He asked if I needed a ride and tried to give me his business card. He’s here for a couple of days.” She made a face. “He sells jewelry.”

Simon looked out the window again. He was quiet for a moment.

“How old is he?”

“I don’t know. Like forty or something.”

“Big?”

“Kind of, yeah.” Why was he asking all these questions? She wished she hadn’t said anything about the man.

“We should take his car.”

“What? I thought we were going into town?”

“This is better. It’s a guaranteed car, and we don’t have to walk. When he gets back tonight, you can knock on his door and ask for a ride.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Youwantme to get in a car with him?”

“No. I’ll be waiting nearby. When he opens the door, I’ll punch him out. One blow to his head and he’s down. We’ll leave him tied up. You said he’s here for a couple of days, right?”