When I was in my twenties, hitching a ride was a common thing to see because a lot of people didn't have a vehicle. Nowadays it seems pretty rare to see someone with their thumb out. And there is (and always was) an element of risk when picking up a stranger - you can never be sure they aren't psychos. I hadn't given anyone a ride for years, and would usually be wary of it nowadays.
This particular afternoon on a cold winter's day, I had just left Bateman's Bay in southern New South Wales and was on my way south to a farm where I would stay for a week in one of the several cabins they had on the property.
I spotted the hitch-hiker just out of town, standing on a strip of road that had a nice wide section where a vehicle could safely pull over - smart thinking on his part. Given that it was getting late in the day and it was pretty chilly already, I figured I would do the right thing, and stopped the car.
I pressed the button to roll down the passenger-side window and as he approached the vehicle I called out "Where ya heading to?"
He answered "as far south as you're going, if that's ok" and I said I would be stopping a bit south of Narooma. He was happy enough with getting as far as Narooma so I told him to toss his pack in the back seat and jump in.
He looked about 50, lean and trim, with a close-cropped beard and a buzz-cut that showed a bit of grey hair. Not bad looking on the whole. As he buckled up he told me his name was Jed and I responded that my name was Denis. He thanked me for stopping to pick him up, saying he had been trying for a lift at that spot for over an hour.
I asked where he was going to stay tonight in Narooma and he asked if I knew any really cheap places to stay as he was a bit tight for cash. I had no idea about accommodation there, and I thought what the hell, I'll do the decent thing.
So I said to him, "look mate, if you need a bed for the night you're welcome to the spare room in my cabin, and I'm cooking pizza for dinner so I can feed us both. No strings, no catch, you just need to decide by the time we get to Narooma."
"Yeah, I'd really appreciate that. I haven't eaten all day so a pizza sounds like bloody heaven right now. Thank you mate."
We continued talking easily as we passed through Narooma, and about 15 minutes later we were pulling up beside the cabin I had rented. The key was in the door, like the owners had told me it would be, and I told Jed to take his pack inside to the 2nd bedroom while I hauled my gear inside.
He returned a moment later and helped me carry the esky, the box of food, and the box of wine into the cabin. I threw my suitcase onto the double bed in the main bedroom, and said I would get started on the pizza. I flicked the oven on, grabbed what I needed and asked Jed if he would unpack the rest of the food into the fridge and the cupboard.
He had that done soon and I asked him if he was a wine drinker. He said he liked a red wine but didn't drink a lot, so I invited him to open one of the bottles we'd brought inside and asked him to pour us both a glass-full. We clinked our glasses together and I said "here's to a good meal" and I returned to topping the pizza base.
Jed was quiet as he sipped on his wine but after I slid the pizza into the oven and we were standing in the kitchen together he asked me "Denis, its none of my business, but I was wondering, are you into guys?"
I replied that I was 100% into guys, especially mature blokes who kept fit and looked after themselves. He asked "do I measure up to that standard, then?" and I replied that he certainly did. He put his glass down and told me he thought I was pretty good looking, and asked if I liked to kiss?