Red scare

The only parking place left at the South Carolina rest stop is next to a new silver-blue van sporting a 'rump bumper sticker with no one behind the wheel.

But by the time I jump out and walk around my truck to the side I share with the van, an older white man with a worried look on his face is determinedly ignoring me and making a bee-line for his driver's door.

I stop him, asking if, after the last debate, he's still intending to vote for 'rump. He tells me if I believe everything I hear, I'm stupid or crazy and that I shouldn't believe everything the media is saying about 'rump. I ask him what he thought of 'rump's words in the debate.

He doesn't answer & so I tell him it is not the media I am listening to but it is the words of 'rump himself.

He pales and puffs a little, then asks me if I know about Bill Clinton and the terrible things he has done. I kinda say Bill who, is he running for president???

I ask him if he thinks I should look into what all of the wives or the 5 babies' mamas of the candidate running for prez on the other team.

I think I lost him with that one, as he starts rambling on about communists and I should be so grateful to live here where I get to vote and not in a communist country. He even tells me to go back to a communist country as long as I don't like it here.

I try to get him to stay, to wait, before charging head-on into his van, imploring him as neutrally as I can, to talk with me about communism - and the communist country I'd LOVE to return to.

But he's just wrapped our conversation in the red scare...red-faced (from anger and not embarrassment I'm pretty sure) he pulls a wheelie trying to hasten his exit from this communist provocateur. HAHAHA