Oklahoma what are you doing to me?!!! So, after the rejection fiasco on the 25th (Day 10), from which I was rescued by the very kind and compelling Jim, I decided to give Oklahoma another try. This time, instead of asking travelers, I'd ask the folks working at the rest stops.

Dude - two rest stops, gas stations and six people (SIX!!) later, Whitney finally saved my behind. She wrote "Hi." on my hand. Whitney, I sense that you are naturally shy, and that you were just humoring me and I appreciate it. Feeling shocked, slighly dejected, too, I went up to Whitney at the Snak Shak counter. She had nowhere else to go but to the fryers. I said, "Would you like to write on my arm. You can write anything. Even hi. Or bye." So, yes, Whitney - faced with this stranger in your fried cheese midst, you took a risk and wrote "Hi." on my hand. I just want to say, thank you. That's the first hand word I've gotten, and it's great to look down and see it and remember that somewhere in Oklahoma, someone was willing to give this a shot.

But, before I'm done with this story - I have to tell you that the first woman I approached seemed mortified. Not by the fact of writing on my hand, but that I was doing it with a Sharpie. Here's the transcript.

"Hi. I'm a writer. I'm doing this writing project where I'm asking people to write one word on me. I'm writing one word each day for 100 days. Would you like to write a word."
"mmm."
"On my arms. I'm having folks write on my arms, legs or my neck."
"No."
"Really?"
"Yeah- no."
"Why?"
"Just something about it."
And then - she noticed the pen.

"And with THAT pen! That's terrible."
"Why? I'm okay with it."
"Yeah - no. I won't do it. I won't write on you."
"Okay. Thanks."

And I stumbled off, muttering to myself.

As an honor to Whitney and her bravery, I captured the sign in the background: Phillips 66 on I-35 in Oklahoma. Where the price of gas is not as outrageous as it is in Illinois. And where my arm, looking like a chicken drumstick flailing in the rain, reaches out to say: "Hi."