Opinions on a start? I need a bit of inspiration, pointers and direction. TIA?
I met the man at a truck stop. I was instantly interested in him because he was wearing the garb of a Buddhist monk. Of course I was equally as skeptical since he was obviously American. None the less, I figured he was interested in seeking things of a higher nature and that was right up my alley. He said,
“I can get you where you wanna go”.
“Huh?”, I questioned. I figured he wanted something from me since he was approaching me so I was a bit taken aback.
He said again, “I can get you where you wanna go.”
I replied, “no thanks I'm driving”.
“I didn't say I would drive you there” he stated, “I said I would get you to where you want to go”. I was puzzled but he didn’t say it as if he wanted something from me. In fact he was picking up trash around the fuel pumps and throwing it away. If he was wearing a uniform you would have thought he worked there.
“And how do you know where I need to go?” I asked. I never liked it when somebody thought they knew more than I did about something and this guy obviously did. I mean how would he know more about what I'm doing than I do? He didn’t answer so I figured maybe he was a little off and continued cleaning the windshield of my truck.
“So?” he questioned.
"So what?" I asked, slightly peeved that this guy wasn't going away.
“I said I can get you where you wanna go” he repeated.
“Yeah, I heard you quite clearly” I stated.
“So, are you willing to let me get you where you need to go?” This time the question was a bit different.
“No, now if you leave me be, I will be on my way” I replied.
“Come on, you know you're curious”. I was curious, but a little more perturbed than curious. Somehow I had to get rid of this guy. At this point I figured maybe if I just give him some money he’d leave and I was willing to give him five bucks just to be rid of him. As I pulled out a five from my wallet and started to hand it to him, he just chuckled and said, “my, we have much to learn don't we? You're going to have to clear your passenger seat if I'm going to ride with you”.
“You're not gonna ride with me” I let him know in no uncertain terms.
“I know you're a bit skeptical but this is the way it works” he explained.
“The way what works?” I asked.
“The way the universe works” he said matter-of-factly. “You already know this or you would have dismissed me already”.
“I thought I did, or at least tried” I said. He laughed. He had a way about him that caused me to laugh as well. I didn’t sense any selfish intent about him and my defenses were down a bit. I can be a bit naïve, and that doesn’t fair well for a guy who finds himself in unfamiliar territory more often than not. For the most part I try not to engage in conversation with strangers which is completely against my nature but it serves me well. He refused money though, which was a first for me. I still had no intention of letting him ride with me anywhere. I finished pumping the fuel into my truck and noticed that he still didn’t seem that interested in whether I would give him a ride or not. I took a minute to size him up and came to the conclusion that I could probably take him in a fight and there was no way he could have been hiding a gun under that outfit. Still, giving him a ride had other disadvantages as well. What if he was crazy and I had to ditch him? What if he was a jerk? I mean he already bugged me a little with that knowing where I need to go crap. Oh man, I’m already caving, I thought. It gets lonely on the road and having someone interesting to talk to sounded appealing. Maybe if I can get him to reveal more about himself with a little more conversation. “That’s how the universe works, huh?”, I asked.
“Yes, there are no mistakes on the universes part only our interpretation” he said.
“I’m still trying to interpret you” I said.
“I know” he said with a warm smile. I was drawn to the guy. His speaking and mannerisms melted my defenses.
“You don’t even know which way I’m going” I said.
“I can get you to where you need to be” he said again. “Where we go while you’re getting there is irrelevant”.
"So you just walk around aimlessly in life, with no place to go?" I asked.
"No, I have a place to go, I just don't know where it is yet" he said. He wasn't helping his case any in my mind, but I was still willing to give this a shot.
" Alright I guess you can ride with me for a while" I relented.
"Great, I'll clear the seat" he volunteered.
" What makes you think I'll let you ride up front?" I questioned.
"Seat belts" he said.
"Seat belts?" I said.
"Yeah, I have to wear my seat belt" he stated matter-of-factly. "Don't you wear your seat belt?"
"Yeah, but I'm not begging for a ride" I stated.
" Make no mistake I'm not begging for anything" smiling as he replied, "you are lucky to have me".
"Lucky me&q