we were driving home from our michigan camping trip. marty had bella and anthony in the van and alex was with me in my car. alex and i had just eaten dinner and were about 60 miles west of indianapolis.

as we were driving and talking i noticed a car had pulled up on my left and was driving steady with me. after a few moments, i looked their way. there was a college-aged guy in the passenger seat looking to get my attention. my heart sank as my first thought was there was something wrong with my car and he was going to point at one of my tires or tell me my engine was billowing smoke. but instead of motioning to my car he instead ran his index finger over his upper lip. he did it in a way someone might who you were sharing a meal with and they were trying to tell you there was a remnant smeared somewhere on your face. i'm sure my quizzical look told him i had no idea what that meant. seeing nothing register with me, he raised his hand again and more deliberately ran his pointed index finger across his upper lip.

i turned to alex, aged 16, who was leaning over to see too. i asked if he knew what he meant. alex said he did not. so i turned back to the guy and rolled down my window. the kid rolled down his and we at 70 miles an hour we bagan a conversation between cars.

TROY
i'm sorry but i don't know what you are trying to tell me?

KID
do you have any snow?

TROY
snow?

KID
yes, snow?

TROY (to alex)
do you know what he is saying?

ALEX
i think he said snow.

TROY
that's what i heard. what does he mean?

ALEX
i don't know.

TROY (yelling back out of my window)
i don't know what you are asking me. what is snow?

KID
snow. you know dude, coke. cocaine. do you have any cocaine?

TROY
cocaine! uh. no. sorry but i don't have any cocaine.

DRIVER (a girl leans forward and yells loud enough for me to hear)
what?!?! you don't have any coke dude?

TROY
uh. no. sorry. no coke here.

both kids looked bummed. they waved at me, thanked me, and sped ahead. i turned to alex rather speechless. i think alex broke the silence to say that was kinda kooky. i was wondering aloud who does that, and why ask me. alex told me that with my thirty year old bmw and the roof rack loaded with multiple bikes, i had a bit of a hippie vibe going on and that might be it. i ended the conversation by saying i was so glad he, aleo, was with me. he asked me why it mattered that he was there. i told him because if he wasn't with me no one would ever believe that two college kids just scream-asked me on the highway if they could score any cocaine off me.