The passenger seat.

That night, the regional highway was quieter than usual. That was why I always chose those hours to transport the cargo. 2 a.m. was always my departure time. Driving at that hour allowed me to reach my destination before 8 a.m. and return the same day before 5 p.m. The other drivers always preferred daytime hours to cover their routes, but not me; driving a tractor-trailer with a large trailer loaded with excessive daytime traffic was no easy task.

Fog on certain stretches of the road was normal, although that day it was so thick that it would have easily made the journey difficult for any novice, but not for me; I knew that road like the back of my hand, having traveled that route for years. The mix of Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, and other bands of a similar style, along with a pack of cigarettes, was my usual companion that kept my mind alert. I never had an assistant; there was no need.

Sometimes I would do favors and give people rides in my cargo truck; they were always acquaintances. For me, it wasn't an inconvenience or extra weight to have them in the passenger seat; some company to chat with casually from time to time was a nice change of pace. Picking up strangers was always a risk, backed up by stories from other drivers about robberies and alleged encounters with ghost passengers. The latter was something i didn't believe in, even if those were their personal anecdotes.

Driving is what I do best, my profession; that's how I earn my living, just like my father and his father did. My grandfather drove a 1973 White 9000 for the state-owned steel company, transporting iron to many places. My father learned to drive in it. I learned to drive in the 1989 Freightliner FLC that he drove for the now defunct D'Angostino transport company, which was absorbed by the national cement factory.

"I have experience driving tractor-trailers, and for the past four years I have been driving a 2009 Kenworth T800 for a company called Transporte Colón. The lack of freight has me in a bind. Getting paid per trip is good when demand is high, but if there is nothing to transport, it's like being out of work. Put me to the test and you'll see that I'm capable of driving any of your trucks; let my performance speak for itself. My documents are up to date and I'm willing to go anywhere," was my cover letter when the country's largest pharmaceutical chain acquired Iveco Stralis trucks for its transport fleet. I had nothing to complain about; it was the best job I could get.

Gaining the boss's trust was no problem. He assigned me to one of the western routes, one that no one else wanted: there were too many spectacular accidents under dubious circumstances. Doña Juana's café, at the crossroads of Highway 86, has some of the best coffee I've ever tasted; it's a regular stop at 3:30 in the morning. Many drivers stop there, some to rest and others just to enjoy that delicious drink. That day, strangely, the place was empty.

“Good morning, Doña Juana,” I greeted her as usual.

“Good morning, how are you?” she replied with her usual warmth.

“Fine, eager to get here early,” I replied. “Pour me a strong coffee,” I said.

“Sure, son. Small, medium, or large?” she asked.

“Large, Doña Juana,” I replied. “It's very rare to see this stop so empty,” I commented.

“Well, yes. It's true. Almost no one has come by today. I'm about to leave. There's nothing I can do here without customers,” she replied as she served the coffee. “Besides, the night feels heavy. All we need now is for it to start raining,” she added.

“Sometimes days are bad, ma'am,” I replied.

I enjoyed that coffee, smoked a cigarette, and we talked about other things I don't remember. Then I said goodbye; it was time to get back on the road.

Before getting on the truck, I took the opportunity to urinate on the side of the road. As I turned around, a young woman, about thirty years old, with long black hair, approached me and asked for a ride. I don't remember the details of her face very well; it was dark. I immediately thought about refusing, but her sad voice prevented me from doing so.

“Where are you headed?” I asked.

“To my house. It's an hour from here,” she replied.

“Are you traveling alone?” I asked.

“Yes, my family is waiting for me,” she replied.

“What about your luggage?” I asked.

“It's just me,” she replied.

I noticed that the woman avoided eye contact while talking to me, something I didn't think much of at the time.

“Get in, I'm in a hurry,” I said.

I saw her get in and sit in the passenger seat. She didn't look me in the face. After closing the passenger door, I set off again at a fast pace. I wanted to make up for lost time and take advantage of the last few hours without traffic.

“You're going too fast, this stretch is dangerous,” she said.

“Don't worry, I know this road very well,” I replied.

Within minutes, heavy rain began to fall. As a precaution, I slowed down. The raindrops on the windshield were thick and falling faster than the wipers could clear them; visibility became zero. I concentrated so hard on the road that I didn't speak to the woman again. Driving in those conditions was dangerous and risky. I couldn't stop, because doing so would expose me to falling trees or landslides; I had a deadline to meet despite the difficulty.

When I was about to reach the nearest town, the rain suddenly stopped. It took me almost two hours to cover a stretch that normally takes less than forty minutes. It was quite a feat to drive like that.

“Where are you getting off?” I asked the woman.

She didn't answer. “Is she asleep?” I thought, and turned to look. I almost lost control from the shock. I felt my legs tremble and my heart leap into my mouth. What a fright I got! I must have turned as white as a sheet. There was no one sitting in the passenger seat; it was empty as usual. “Dear God, protect me from all evil,” I prayed. I crossed myself and then repeated Psalm 23, which I knew by heart, over and over in my mind.

I would like to think that I did not agree to take a ghost woman with me in the cargo-truck that night; there is no logic to what happened, I know I did not imagine it. Since that day, I have never traveled without an assistant again.

---

• Royalty-free image, generated with Gemini.

---