Strangest thing I’ve seen on the road

We were driving on I-40 in West Memphis, Arkansas. Hedon was at the wheel and I was in the bunk chatting with her. Traffic was pretty heavy, but up ahead, on the shoulder of the road, I could see glimpses of a woman, just standing there, looking at the passing traffic.

At first, I thought she was wearing a body suit of some sort. It became quickly apparent that she was pregnant, very pregnant, ninth-month pregnant. She went by us in a blur, but there was no doubt about it … that was no body suit she was wearing. She was buck naked.

In concert, Hedon and I said, “Was she …?” The word “naked” got left out of the sentence because it was just so bewildering. And I’m bewildered about it to this day.

What was an extremely pregnant woman doing standing naked on the shoulder of an interstate highway? Granted, it was a very hot day, but I doubt that the heat was the answer.

At first, I couldn’t help but laugh. I mean, it’s so absurd. But the sight of it has hung with me through the several years since this happened. And it stopped being funny quite a long time ago. I might even say it became disturbing.

I keep coming back to the question of why she was out there. She stood so still and calm as she watched the passing traffic. She had one arm propped on her belly, and in her other hand she held a cigarette. The best way to describe her expression was, well, bored. She actually looked bored. About a mile down the road, we passed a man walking on the shoulder, carrying a bundle of something over his shoulder. Was there a connection? What could it be? I’ve asked these questions over and over, and the speculation on the answers are numerous.

I doubt I will ever see anything stranger on the road.