Boy, Rick had a lot to think about on his ride home. What was the deal? All of a sudden, he was a magnet for weirdos. He had run into Stan at the pharmacy. Stan seemed a little more uptight than usual. Rick knew Stan's mother. He had done is student teaching under her supervision the year before Mrs. Braverman retired. He found her to be slightly overbearing and bossy and she never stopped talking about her "Little Stanley". No wonder her husband chose to travel before he died. Today Stan was more talkative than usual - always talking about some Scifi nonsense or the "net". Rick was glad for the peace and quiet of the highway.

Up ahead, he noticed a tattered- looking fellow on the side of the road. He hadn't seen a hitchhiker in years. He remembered when he was a boy, his father had one standard line for hitchhikers....Get A Job!...Rick resisted the urge and surprised himself by pulling over. The man slowly climbed into his nice, clean Lexus Sport Utility What was he thinking? thanking Rick for the ride. The man, who said his name was Don, looked as if he hadn't slept or changed clothes, for that matter in days. Rick checked the position of his wallet and began to regret his act of good will. He would get rid of this character as soon as possible. Rick wasn't wanting to engage Don in any conversation but Don seemed intent on sharing his life story. He was travelling across the country in serarch of "himself". Give me a break, thought Rick Actually, Rick felt a tinge of jealousy that Don could be so open about his life with a total stranger. Meredith would have liked him. Rick listened to Don without much comment and pulled off a few miles down the road to let him out. Don asked Rick where he might be able to get some drugs - Rick was amazed that Don was not the least bit afreaid or concerned...how did he know that Rick wasn't an undercover cop? This guy doesn't have a chance! Rick started to say, No, when he remembered something that Raine said about a "mysterious stranger". Well, Don was definitely a mystery and strange alright! Rick handed him the slip of paper with Raine's number and wished him luck on his journey.

All Rick could think about now was getting home and relaxing with his new book. He didn't want to leave his Himalayan Butterfly much longer...it might not survive anyway. One thing he knew for sure, he was in no mood for human contact of any kind. He pulled into the driveway hoping that his new neighbor would not be home. No such luck! Star tipped him off by welcoming him home. Nappy came running over before Rick had time to get out of his vehicle. OK...he would brush him off quickly even if he had to be rude. What did he want now?

Nappy was nearly out of breath by the time he got to the car...he WAS out of shape, Rick noticed. He was stuttering and stammering so much that Rick had to yell to get him to slow lown (Rick envisioned himself slapping Nappy in the face, but refrained - he smiled at the thought). When Nappy finally got his words out, he only needed a ride to the office...something about some important legal documents that had to be transcribed before morning or he would be "up the creek". The last thing Rick wanted to do was take Nappy anywhere...but he heard himself saying, "Get in, Nappy."

RICK NAP STAN DON RAINE
WHEN ART HAPPENS