The car sputtered to a stop. I was on Highway 5 going to Berkley from Los Angeles for my third year in college. Fortunately the highway was not busy and as the car rolled to a stop, I steered to the shoulder. I tried starting the car but the motor did not make a sound. As I lifted the hood looking for a problem like a loose wire I knew I was in trouble. My knowledge of cars was limited.
I saw no loose wires so decided to call the Auto Club for help. I dialed the Auto Club number but there was no response. Nothing. I then called my parents but there was no answer and no voice mail. Cars were traveling by and I waved at a few to stop. They didn’t. Trucks honked their horns as they passed by.
I remembered passing a rest stop about 10 or 20 minutes ago. The internet was still working on my phone. It is called Buttonwillow. At 70 mile an hour that would probably be a seven mile hike to the rest stop. Maybe that means I will be walking for about two hours. If I am wrong it could be a four hour hike. I took two unopened bottles of water from the car and some granola bars, stuffed them into my backpack, and started to walk along the highway.
The temperature was about 80 degrees. The fields along the side of the road were green. Farmers are growing some kind of vegetables. I had no idea what was being grown.
I had not walked even five minutes when a pickup truck pulls along side of me. The driver with an Oklahoman accent says, “Y’all can’t walk in this here heat. How’d ya get here anyway?”
Pointing back towards my car I responded, “My car broke down. Can I get a lift from you to a gas station?”
“Ah can’t do that. But ah can take you to ma farm house. We got a phone there. Com on get in.”
“OK. Thank you.”
“What’s your name?”
“David. I am going to Berkley.”
“Oh. A college kid. Ah di’nt graduate ha school but ma daughter deed.”
“That’s nice. Where does she live?”
“With us. Jus so ya know. Ah own all the lan aroun here” the farmer said proudly.
Coast Contact 