During college, Tobolowsky and his then-girlfriend were on a bus which broke down more than two hours outside of Dallas, so Tobolowsky's girlfriend suggested they hitchhike home. Tobolowsky was nervous, but agreed. After waiting for a long time, a van pulled over and the door on the side opened up. He and his girlfriend jumped in quickly. Tobolowsky tried to make conversation, but no one would talk. "No one looked at Beth or me," he wrote. "It was tense. Now I wondered how this ride would end." The van pulled over eventually and the driver told them they had to get out. "Hey, thanks for the lift," Tobolowsky told the driver. "I was afraid no one would pick up hitchhikers anymore." "What?" the driver said. "You were hitchhiking? We never even saw you. We had just pulled over to change drivers. You jumped into the car and said, 'Drive us to Dallas.' We thought you were kidnappers."
