Let's Get Lost Together

We drove silently for an hour. He didn’t speak much English. Suddenly, he turned to me and said, ‘Hey, you! SEX?’
A few weeks earlier, it was amusing to watch people’s eyes pop when I said I was going to CouchSurf through 5weeks in East Europe. My friends were appalled; my parents, oblivious. Indians are not known to be adventurous travelers. Solo females are rare. Having led a highly sheltered life, I was bent on making the most of my freedom during my study-abroad year.
The idea of CSing was terrifying to me too but I craved the uncertainty and adventure. I planned nothing beyond my next host. But over the next 3weeks, even CSing became routine and I pined for more.
Rebel me battled tame me- to hitchhike or not. Much later I learnt that HHing is not as dead as I imagined, and is in fact quite popular. Still, it is looked upon with horror by everyone I know. I was never raised in a way that accepted the idea of flagging down cars on a highway and traveling random distances with random people.
But who am I to back away from a challenge? I jumped right into an ambitious plan- Budapest to Ljubljana. 500kms.
I knew I was at a racial and gender disadvantage being female AND brown, but… Meh!
It started out great. My heart was thumping throughout, and adrenaline egged me on. (Un)Fortunately, I didn’t meet anyone going long distance and it took me 7 rides to reach. 6 of the rides were awesome. I met nice people and (I believe) I made some great friends. One of them though…
After my 5th ride, not a soul was stopping. Over an hour of waving at cars like a lunatic later, a man finally pulled over and asked me to get in. I didn’t like the look of him much, but I was carrying two bags, 22kgs and 5kgs, and was getting desperate.
‘Hey, you! SEX?’
Let me put things in context here. Indians generally are not so ‘sexually liberated’. It is still largely a taboo subject, and I particularly am thoroughly uncomfortable with the topic.
Mortified, I said NO. He said ‘Okayy’, made a call and started speaking to some man on speaker.
I was crying, sure of getting raped and dumped in the forest and no one would know because I had no phone. My parents thought I was on a train.
Jumping off and running was not an option because I’m a moron and had kept my bags in the boot, wallet and passport included. Thankfully, he didn’t push me, and dropped me off when I told him to.
Looking back, I think he meant no harm and just tried his luck. But those moments of sheer terror… Unforgettable!