This was a particularly special ride, for one it was the only woman who picked me up, but also the circumstances of meeting were somewhat 'serendipitous' to use the word she chose. I had been staying with SV, but with a 3 year-old running around it was a bit much. I knew it was time to move on, my next destination was my sister in saskatoon. Terrific! I had intended to say my goodbyes and get dropped off on the edge of town by around 3pm-ish, after N's birthday party, dance recital, and gymnastics class (oh my!). But as sometimes happens with days like this and schedules it was closer to 5pm when I got out onto the side of the road. I got my first ride pretty quick, which was good because I was in a horrible spot, the traffic was moving far too fast and I wasn't far enough outside of the city. My first ride suggested staying on the no.2 and heading up to Edmonton before crossing over to Saskatoon. This was not what I wanted, sure there might be more traffic, but because of the late start to the day I wanted someone going straight to Sask. Which meant choosing a highway with less traffic on it, but with more chances that whoever is on it plans to go the whole way to Sask., as well. I had a feeling before leaving that I would catch a specific ride, this time a woman or perhaps a family, that they would go the whole way and like me intended to leave a few hours before they actually did, and that my perfect ride was due to come along I just had to wait for it.
Unfortunately my sister was not so confident. The idea of hitching already made her uncomfortable, the late start to the day did nothing to quell her fears. She was also concerned about how I would get into her apartment, she goes to bed early and sleeps soundly. So I am sitting on the side of the road, talking to my sister on the phone, and hearing that she really wasn't ready for me to come that night, oh fuck. We did get our one and only fight out of the way, but this left me scrambling to get a ride and another place to stay back in Calgary for the night, and rescheduling to leave the following morning. So now I am on the phone with my mom's friend Rosemary trying to figure out exactly which dirt road I am sitting beside. My sign for Saskatoon is out, but I'm turned away from the road and not at all trying to get a ride. All of a sudden a van pulls up, they open the door, I see three of them, middle aged, two male one female. They are going to Drumhiller, not to sask. but it would be easier to catch a ride from there... but knowing my sister really isn't ready for me I decide to turn them down, when another car pulls over across the road. She yells out that she came back to get me, but sees that I already have a ride. I ask, phone still to ear, are you going to Saskatoon? She says yes, and I say, Wait! You are my ride!! I say thank-you to the van going as far as Drumhiller, and thank-you to Rosemary, I no longer need to be picked up or a place to stay for tonight.
When I asked her later, DH, why she decided to pick me up she said it was serendipity. She was supposed to leave a few hours earlier, but worked later than intended that day, and that if my sign had said anything different she wouldn't have stopped, but it said Saskatoon and that is where she was heading. She paused. Then said, I was also thinking of my son, and was pretty sure that he would have wanted me to stop.
continued...
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