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."