I was a precocious child. I started studying in April of 1973, I was 15, and was determined to be baptized at the International Assembly in Atlanta in July of 1973. My parents were opposed so I hitchhiked from Beaufort SC to Atlanta, a trip of about 6 hours.
As I was leaving on the last day to go hitchhike back to Beaufort, I saw a 10 year old boy crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said "my family forgot me and left without me". I was like WTF? His parents had come in one car and an aunt in another car and the parents thought he was with the aunt and the aunt thought he was with the parents. Something like that. Anyway, I asked the little boy where he was from, Charletston SC, and did he know the phone numbers of any family. He didn't. So, I called information and asked for the name of one of his aunts and luckily got her number on the first try. So, I called the aunt and told her the story. I told the aunt not to worry that I would get her nephew home safe and sound.
As we were leaving to go hitchhike some people were handing out fliers for six flags, so I said "hey, want to go to six flags?". And we went.
At six flags I ran into some people I knew from Beaufort and asked them if me and my pal could hitch a ride with them. THen I told them that my friend was from Charleston and we needed to make a stop there first. Charleston is slightly out of the way from Atlanta to Beaufort so the people said no. I was like WTF? So, I said, that's all right we will manage". And we just had fun at six flags and then hitchhiked to Charleston. The first car that stopped was someone going to Charleston, a family in a station wagon so they took the little boy and me righ to his house. I then hitched a ride to Beufort with some Marine recruits going to Parris Island. My house was right on the way to Parris Island and they just dropped me off. My dad was in the front yard, my dad is a Marine, and I asked the Marine recruits to come meet my dad. One of the hardest corp bastards in the history of the Marines. LOL. So my dad wasn't quite as mad at me for hitchhiking from Beaufort to Atlanta and back because he was happy to meet the recruits.