As I approached the Motorway in the pouring rain, I felt a pang of sympathy for the line of hitchhikers waiting by the roadside. The rain was lashing down and they must have been feeling pretty miserable. I decided on impulse that I would be nice and pull over. At the front of the queue, a small black guy picked up his huge rucksack and struggled towards my van. When the door opened, I realised it was actually a girl. It just wasn't easy to tell, what with the torrential rain and the fact that she was wearing jeans, and an anorak with a hood pulled up.
"Where are you headed?" I asked.
"Glasgow. She replied.
"Well that's a coincidence," I replied, "so am I!"
"How long will it take?"
"All day - especially if this rain keeps up! I hope you're good company."
"Well, I'll try," she replied.
Well fortunately, she was. She had an easy, relaxed way about her. She explained she was going to meet up with some friends who were studying in Glasgow. It was half term and they planned to spend the week partying. I envied her. I was doing courier work, so I had to deliver two parcels in the morning and then drive back. I liked driving, but in the torrential rain it was hard work and slower than usual.
She took off her anorak and underneath she was wearing a T shirt bearing the slogan "What the Fuck are You Looking at?" I commented and she laughed.
"I'm not very lady like," she said, "sorry."
She certainly wasn't. She also suggested we play what she called "The truth game" to pass the journey. This basically involved asking each other increasingly risque questions which we had to answer truthfully. As a result of this, we learned that we were both bisexual, and that her name was Monica. She and I had fun comparing opinions on famous people in terms of attractiveness. I also learned that she confessed to "penis envy" as she called it. She preferred wearing trousers and like to drink pints of real ale. She sounded like she would be a fun companion for a night in a pub.
The hours passed quickly, but unfortunately the miles didn't. By lunchtime the rain had stopped but the traffic was still crawling. At this rate, we wouldn't make Glasgow by midnight. Eventually, we stopped altogether and after about ten minutes I switched off the engine. There had evidently been an accident and the motorway had ground to a standstill.
I was seriously glad of Monica's company now because the time flew by as we chatted about anything and everything. When the traffic started moving again it was getting dark. I had money for an overnight stop in Glasgow, but the parcels didn't need to be delivered until tomorrow. I explained that I was thinking of stopping overnight somewhere before it got too late. Monica asked if we could share a room to save money, and I readily agreed.
We pulled off at the next junction and I found a cheap hotel on the outskirts of a town that I had used before. I checked in to a twin bedded room and helped her with her rucksack. I only had a small overnight bag. There was no restaurant at the hotel but there was a pub nearby which served food. We took turns to shower and change in the en suite. Monica emerged wearing a long, wrap around skirt and certainly looked much more feminine than she had earlier.
"I though you preferred trousers?" I remarked.
"A girl can change her mind!" She relied.
We agreed to walk the mile or so so that I could have beer or two without having to drive.
After a hot meal, we started on the beer - Monica easily matched me pint for pint. I had no idea where she put it all in her small frame. The pints flowed and so did our conversation. Closing time arrived all to quickly and eventually we were forced to down our remaining beers and leave.
Outside, the fresh air hit me and I got a sense that I'd drunk quite a lot. I felt very slightly dizzy. Monica giggled, but otherwise looked quite unaffected by the large beer intake.
"Wow, look at the stars!" Monica said.
It was a brilliantly clear night, and the stars did indeed look spectacular.
It also occurred to me that I hadn't been to the toilet once and my bladder was starting to feel rather full. It wasn't that far to the hotel, but Monica seemed content to stroll slowly and enjoy the night air.
"They are beautiful," I agreed, "just wish I'd been for a pee before we left!"
"So, you're a guy!" Monica replied, "it's easy for you - you can pee anywhere."
"Not in front of a lady."
"Who said I was a lady? If you need a piss, go ahead! I don't want to rush back - it's so lovely out here."
We strolled down the lane hand in hand. I was enjoying the walk too - but scanning for suitable cover for a pee, as my need was getting urgent by now. But there really was no cover, just a wire fence separated the footpath from the field. Up ahead, there was a stile leading to a footpath across the field.
"I'm just going to nip over that stile for a pee then," I said.
I climbed over the stile and to my surprise, Monica climbed over too.
I walked into the field by Monica stayed right with me.
I stopped and she stopped right beside me.
Monica looked at me. "Do you want me to look away?"
