White Sands – Experiences from the Outside World

Description

The hitchhiker said nothing as we continued south on Highway 54, from White Sands to El Paso. We had established where we were from and where we were going, and a pleasant atmosphere filled the car. Then, less than a minute later, this pleasant atmosphere was changed absolutely by a sign:

NOTICE

DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS

DETENTION FACILITIES IN AREA

I had seen the sign. Jessica had seen the sign. Our hitchhiker had seen the sign. We had all seen the sign and the sign had changed our relationship totally. What struck me was the plural: not a detention facility but detention facilities. Several of them. The notice – and I took some heart from the fact that the sign described itself as a Notice rather than a Warning – did not specify how many, but there were, evidently, more than one. I did not glance at Jessica. She did not glance at me. There was no need, because at some level everyone was glancing at everyone else. As well as not glancing, no one said a word. I have always believed in the notion of the vibe: good vibes, bad vibes. After we saw the sign the vibe in the car – which had been a good vibe – changed completely and became a very bad vibe.