It has been a long week for me, and I intend to sleep for a long time once I get home. You see, I'm an electrician with a major company, and they have me working on the western slop of my great state, yet I live on the eastern slope, in the City. I make a very good wage for the work, and I enjoy the work, so I can afford to work out here, and get hotels, or sleep on site in my camper for the week, and then go home for the weekend.
I'm a pretty built guy, without much fat on me, at 6'1" and sandy blonde hair, and wide shoulders, not many people try to pick fights with me at the bars.
I only started this job a few years ago, at 23 years old since I graduated college with a masters in hypnotherapy, but when I went out into the world to get a job, the city was so over saturated with hypnotherapists, I doubted I'd find a place to work, so I picked up classes on the trade of electrician, and it's gotten me farther along in life than I think I would have treating people quitting smoking or some such.
So, it's Friday night, and we're scheduled to leave in an hour, but after 12 hr days all week, I plan on quitting early, and start my drive right now. It's already 7:30, and almost a 4 hr drive home. So I pack up my tools, talk to the boss about where we'll be working next week, and when to meet up again, before loading my tools in my work truck.
Work truck is a misnomer as it's my personal truck with a camper on the back. It's stocked with a few days of fresh food, fishing gear, and a weeks worth of clothes for my week away from home.
I finally exit the job site, and wind my way around the town I'm working in, and finally get to the highway to get through the mountains and home. The sun is still up for another hour in town, but as soon as I hit the hills, sunset is much earlier. I set out, jumping into some evening traffic on the highway, and get flipped off by some jerk in a porsche as he flies past me with horn blaring. It's not very easy to get my old truck up to speed with the camper, but I do it.
I get up to the other end of town, a few miles down the road, at the small town's last off/on ramps, and see a few figures at the road side, of the on ramp, and almost as soon as I'm about to pass them, I decide to pull over for the hitchhikers. See, I always try to help out others in need, and know that I was the one in need through some of my college time, so it's time to pay forward for the help that was given to me.
These two are running up to the truck, hauling suitcases on wheels, and with the sun barely over the horizon, all I see are two figures. No telling who I'm picking up this time.
They finally get to the passenger door as I'm winding down the manual window, and see a couple of very cute young ladies breathing heavy, and flashing bright smiles my way.
"Well hello there. Where are you headed?" I ask
"How far are you going?" the brunette asks.
"All the way to Denver." I answer.
"Great! That's where we're headed, too." she says.
"OK, that works. Why don't you put your bags on the floor of the camper in back, and hop in the cab here." I say to them both.
"Thank you, sir! We really appreciate the ride." the dark blonde says, before heading to the rear of the truck.
Seconds later, and I hear the door to the camper slam shut, and the girls are shortly back at the door. I unlock it after rolling the window back up, and open it for them. The brunette climbs in first, onto the bench seat, then the blonde follows her in, and slams the door closed, which makes the sound in the cabin seem to rattle everything.
"So, what puts you two into the position you're in, hitchhiking?" I ask them.
"I came up here by bus, to visit Tammy here for the week, and today, she and her boyfriend had a big fight, and I didn't want to be around it, so I packed up. She didn't want me to go alone, and left the boyfriend behind to cool off for a while." the brunette said.
"I decided to go back to Justine's house with her, so I can have a little time apart from the boyfriend, and make sure she was safe on her way home again." Tammy said.
"Well, it's nice to meet both of you. I'm Evan." I said to them.
"Good to meet you, too! It's been such a long day. I'm glad we got a ride so quickly tonight." Tammy said.
"Yeah, I can't wait to sleep in my own bed. I'm tired just thinking about being home." Justine said with a yawn she attempted to cover up.
"I have an idea for you both if you're tired. It always helps me focus on driving when I just watch the stripes go by. I try to count them all. At this time in the evening, there won't be anything worth seeing in the mountains anyway. Too dark." I told them.
They both nodded, but kept quiet. I took a chance to really look them over then, before it got too dark. Tammy had her blonde hair about to the middle of her back, and covering over her swollen chest. She was wearing black leggings, with flats on her feet, and a red and blue flannel shirt on top. Justine wore her hair to mid back as well. She had on a white shirt, and a thin blue jacket over top, covering her breasts, but not hiding the prominent swell of them. She had on a pleated skirt, and tennis shoes on her feet. They both seemed just a few years younger than I was.
I let them both just look out the windshield, watching as the sunlight slowly faded to nothing. We hadn't gotten to the mountains yet, so not much else to see on the high planes. I just assumed that they were watching the lines. I didn't say anything for a time, hoping they'd be paying attention to the stripes on the highway. They were shining with the reflective dust they throw on the wet paint, when the striping was done.
When I looked over at them once we got to the mountainous part of the trip, they both had sagging eyelids, and barely keeping their heads straight up.
"Very good. Counting the stripes. What number are you on?" I asked.
"247" said Justine a little tired sounding.
"251" said Tammy near the same time.
I knew they would be on different numbers, depending on when they started counting stripes.
"Good girls. Keeping focused on the stripes. Listening to my voice." I said.
"So wonderful and warm in the cab here. Ready to obey. So comfortable." I said.
"Huh.....?" Tammy whispered.
I quickly change tactics once I was questioned with the obey suggestion. It was just too soon.
"So warm in the cab, ready to listen, and trust. Counting stripes. Listening to my voice." I said.
"Warm.... listen." Justine mumbles.
"That's right. It's really warm in here" I said in a controlled low tone.
"Mmmm" Justine moans.
"You trust Evan completely. Listening to voice. Trusting his voice." I said in a quiet voice, forcing them to try to listen to me in the noisy cab.
"Trusssst." Justine answers.
"Good girls." I said to them both. "Listening so well. Accepting my words as truth." I said as quiet as before.