Getting up into the truck was hard, but they all made it, and they all threw their bags on the floor in front of them and rested their legs on top of them.  The trucker didn’t mind.  He liked kids too, just like Packard.  He told them he was used to giving kids rides.

“How old are you guys anyways?” the trucker asked.  He took off his hat and put it on again.  He seemed a lot like Jonathan in a television series from way back when.

“Thirty,” said The Man.

“What’d you do, rob a bank?”

“Espionage,” said Joey.  “We’re spies for the CIA.  But don’t tell no one, okay?”

“Not a soul.”

“Actually, we’re ex cons.  We just happen to be going back home.  This is Joey, and Wilson, and I’m The Man.  I left my home and they come back to rescue me.  This is how we get around sometimes beings we don’t got a car.”

“I see.  Not too good an idea though, you know, hell, I might be some sort of lunatic or something.  Truckers aint that good sometimes.  Course then you guys might have weapons on you too, if you’re spies and all, never thought of that.  Do you?”

“Yeah, but only for protection,” said Joey.

“Well, that’s okay.  I understand.  Everyone needs protection.  By the say, my name’s Nathanial.  So you’re Joey and Wilson and you’re The Man.

“Yep.”

“What town you guys goin’ to?”

“Seattle.”

“Seattle, home of the circles.  Drives me nuts up there.  I hate that town but it does have the Space Needle and lots of wonderful open markets.  I like the fish there.  Kinda interesting.  You been to all those places?”

“Sure, we been there lots of times,” said The Man.

“Yeah, it’s okay.  I’m sort of sick of it though,” said Wilson.  When I get old I’m going down to California and live on the beach.  Pretty girls, beach house, surfing.  I’m gonna live like a bum for the rest of my life.  That’s what I wanna do.  I don’t like the rain anymore.  Makes me sad.”

“I hear ya there.  It is pretty rainy up North.  Makes driving hazardous too but I do it.”  Nathanial passed another truck in the left lane and honked his horn.  “That’s a buddy of mine.  We been driving trucks together for the last nine years.  Talk about California, he’s been there, but he says the air’s pretty bad, and not much good drinking water.”