It was a long drive home, but I was nearly there. Just a couple more hours. I had ignored the last rest stop, so I was glad when I saw the hitchhikers. They looked harmless enough. Almost familiar. So I pulled over to the side of the highway. I saw their large backpacks, so I got out and opened the cargo door of my SUV as they jogged up.

The two young men shrugged themselves out of their backpacks, and threw their heavy loads into the rear cargo area.

The taller one yelled, “Shotgun!”

I walked with them around the passenger side of the vehicle even though there was not much traffic. Habit, I guess. The two whispered from the back of the SUV to the rear passenger door where the first hopped in. The taller one, who had called dibs on the front seat, got in next. I continued around the front of the vehicle and looked in the front windshield. The two were whispering to one another over the seat. I made sure there was no traffic and got into the SUV.

I had not even started the vehicle when the two young men looked at me, looked at each other, then broke out laughing. Must have been an inside joke. But the one in front pointed at me as he laughed.

I let out a heavy sigh. “You boys went to my elementary school, didn’t you.” It was not a question.

They continued to laugh as they nodded their heads up and down. It was like they were in fourth grade again. The grade I had taught for over twenty years. Same school. Same room.

“And when were you in my class?”

The one in the front seat blurted through his laughter, “Nineteen-eighty-four.”

Ah yes. Such a good year.

“I take it that you remember your first day in my class, which, by the way, was my first day teaching. Ever.”

They laughed even harder, which I did not think was possible. They were both in tears. I supposed that they had remembered my escapade in the front of the room.

They calmed down enough to start talking.

The one in the front seat introduced himself, “I’m Tony. That’s Matt in the back. We still talk about that first day. A lot. You farting out loud in front of the class.” He gave a soft chuckle as he wiped the tears off his face.

Matt added, “Yeah. We talked about it a lot all the way through high school even. When teachers heard us talking about that first day, they would ask who we were talking about. When we told them, they would give a little knowing nod or shake their heads in disgust, or at least fake disgust. They always smiled.”

The two looked at each other over the seat. Then they looked at me. Tony asked, “So is it true?”

I knew what they were asking, but I played coy. “Is what true?”

Matt coaxed, “You know.” I kept a straight face. “Your nickname.”

I smiled. How could I not. “Yes. My friends and even the teachers used to call me…” Their eyeballs were practically bulging and they were leaning toward me as close as they could. “…the King of Farts.”

They exploded in laughter again.

I started the SUV and pulled out onto the nearly deserted highway. I was no longer sleepy.

We had a great ride filled with reminiscing and new stories.

[This story goes with the story It’s Just Gas. Not really a sequel, but connected.]