 obsession. Too few, however, recognize that danger sign in the eyes of a woman whose mind is fused with an obsession of escape. A slow burning fuse that sputters with an angry hiss towards its destination of dynamite. And thus our story starring Susan Hayward. Stout the inland California highway route from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Some carry produce from Imperial Valley. Some carry oil from the refineries at Long Beach and El Segundo. Some, which travel a special route, carry cargo identified only by a small red flag and a sign which reads, danger keep your distance. These trucks carry nitroglycerin, dynamite, whose dormant power and force of destruction burns like a fuse in the minds of the drivers until dynamite becomes an obsession. Work in Joe's place. It's an eating place just off the main highway about 30 miles south of Bakersfield. Most of the truck drivers who stopped there call me by my right name, which is Maple, except for one or two who think they'd be in real clever when they call me Toots. Very beautiful. So I guess it was mostly on account of the way this Fred first spoke to me to caught my attention. The Bakersfield crowd had just pulled out and I was cleaning off the tables in the back, so I didn't see him come in. And suddenly I didn't say. Oh, miss. Hello. Hello. Say, can I get a cup of coffee? That's what I'm here for. Cream and sugar? I just cream. How's the apple pie? Terrible. I'll have a piece. New on this run? Uh huh. Just out of the day. What are you carrying? Oil. El Segundo or Long Beach? Long Beach. You ought to carry a cheese. You make more money. What's a cheese? High explosives. Glisser and dynamite, that stuff. Here's a fork. Oh, thanks. Maybe if you carry that, you won't live long enough to spend the extra money. I know a lot of truck drivers. They look like they're still alive to me. Maybe they're just lucky. Maybe they're just smarter. The guys who drive produce and oil have to work three months for what you make in one H.E. run. Yeah, that's what I mean. They wouldn't pay that kind of dough if it wasn't plenty dangerous. Well, he'd been one blow up on the route in over two years. Well, just the same. I think I'll stick to oil. I always figure if you gotta die, it's kind of nice to die of old age. You know, I'm a fatalist. I always figure that when your time comes, you're gonna go and nothing is stopping. Well, that's no reason to go out looking for it. It's no reason to be afraid either. Why'd you say that? I don't know. Maybe it's because I think you'd be afraid. You look like you're afraid of something. Do you always look that way? I guess I do. You sure carry on a crazy conversation. How much is the pie and coffee? 15 cents. You're mad at what I said, aren't you? I don't care what you say. You don't mean anything to me. I might. What do you mean by that? I just said I might. You mean you think I could fall for you? Why not? You sure must think you're something. Don't you think I'm attractive? Yeah, to some people maybe. You remind me of a well of... Of a what? One of those H.E. trucks you were talking about. The little signs on them that say danger, keep your distance, dynamite. My name's not dynamite. It's Mabel. What's your... Fred. I'm late now on a count of talking to you. So long, Mabel. Suppose I'll be seeing you when you buy this way again. Now I doubt it. No? No, you were right. The apple pie here is terrible. He was a funny kind of guy for a truck driver. I'd never seen anyone like him before. He even made me feel a little foolish about the things I said to him. I guess that's why I was glad to see him leave and glad to hear he wasn't coming back. He sort of got on my nerves. Then one night a couple of weeks later, I was waiting on an H.E. driver named Steve. Steve and me, we'd go out on dates sometimes when he wasn't running H.E.s. I think he really liked me. Gee, that coffee hits the spot, Mabel. How about some more cake, Steve? I haven't got time. They're repairing the highway a few miles down. They'll probably hold us up there for a while. So I better get started. You gonna be down south for long? No, I'll be back for the weekend. Oh, safe. If you can get off early, maybe we can take in the Saturday night dance up at Bakerfield. All right. Okay, I'll see you Saturday night. Still on there? Still on, Steve. Hello, Mabel. Oh, it's you. Yeah, I'm back. I thought you didn't like our apple pie. Well, didn't have any complaints about the coffee. How about a cup? How about a cup? How about a cup? Was that your boyfriend that just left? He might be. What do you want with it? Just cream, remember? There'll be five things. And I haven't any change at all. Just got a 20. Oh, Mabel. You know what I stopped in for? To get changed for your 20. Now, I wanted to talk to you. You don't like? Remember? No, I didn't say that. I said I thought you were dangerous. You should change. You always steal when you want something? I never steal. I just saw you. Why didn't you put my 20 in the cash register? We keep big bills separately. Yeah, but there's other 20s in that register. I even saw a 50. Are you calling me a thief? You called me a coward when I said I wouldn't drive a cheese. I told you you could make more money driving a cheese. If I wanted money bad, I wouldn't steal it. I want money bad. What for? I'm sick of truck drivers and their dirty hands. I'm sick of the way they talk and the way they laugh and the way they look at me. I hate it here. I want to get away. I'll drink your coffee. It's getting cold. Now, look, Mabel. Hey, hey, what's that? That felt like a quake. No, no, it wasn't. I know that sound. Oh, what was it? That was a truck, a dynamite truck. Fred said we should drive down to where it happened, see if we could help. Well, we might as well have stayed at the restaurant. When we got there, all we found was a couple of pieces of twisted steel, part of a steering wheel, and Steve wasn't going to be able to keep that date Saturday night with me after all. Oh, Mabel. What do you think about it now? About what? About driving those H.E.s. I've seen it happen before. Doesn't it bother you at all? Steve knew what he was doing when he took the job. He wanted the money. I'd have done the same thing. Would you? You said yourself it was better than stealing. Mabel, you'd do anything to get away from here, wouldn't you? I think so. I've never met anyone like you. What do you mean by that? Well, I just haven't. That's all. Tell me something. Steve, well, he was your boyfriend, wasn't he? We got along. You liked him, didn't you? As well as anybody? So why don't you cry about him, then? Don't you know how to cry, Mabel? I never cry over truck drivers. A week went by, and the dynamite company was having a lot of trouble trying to find someone to take Steve's place. The chief dispatcher, a seller named Nick, was talking about it at the counter one morning. That's the way it goes, Mabel. One blow-up, and every guy on the run starts getting buck fever. Still haven't found a driver yet, huh? No. Of course you can't blame the poor devil. Most of them have wives and families. All it takes is something like this to make them realize... Nick? Yeah? Do you know a driver named Fred? Oh, yeah, he's a new man. Been driving oil, I think. Yeah, that's the one. Have you talked to him? Nah, those guys are hardly ever interested. They thought they'd get a tax of that safety runner there. This one might be interested, though. How do you know him? Well, I don't. I just have a hunch he might be. Hey, Nick. What? Why don't you talk to him? See what he says. What's the idea, man? No idea. You said you needed a driver? Well, this might be a man. Okay, I'll see the guy if you think there's a chance of getting him. Be sure you don't say anything to him about me, huh? No, I won't. Look, what's your connection, Mabel? Let's just say I'm interested in seeing the guy get ahead. I didn't see Nick again that week. And then, Friday night around 11.30, I was getting ready to close the place up. It would be raining all day long, and business had been pretty slow. And then, just as I was turning out the light, Fred! I'm going down south tonight, Mabel. Be going for five or six weeks, so I thought I'd stop in and say goodbye. Oh, what are you going to do down there? I got an LA to Tucson to run. Why don't you take that? This morning, a pretty important run. Pays good. That's nice. Yeah, a fellow gave me the job. Didn't seem too happy about it, though. Why not? Now, he said he didn't want to kid me. Said it's real hard to keep from running over stones in the road when you're driving at night. And how you have to concentrate on turning the wheel just right. So you don't drive the truck. You're driving AT. He said you're going to be especially careful when you come to bridges. The pavement's usually uneven. The truck hits a bump, and well, and where are you? Maybe just where Steve is, huh? What did you take the job for if you're afraid? I'm not afraid, Mabel. I need the money. Why? You know why. What are you telling me about it for? I just wanted to be sure you're away. I wanted to make sure you were a good investment. I've been here a long time. Dance to reason. I'll be here when you come back. Mabel, if anything should happen, would you cry about me? I answered that once before. Yeah, yeah, sure. Well, guess I better get going. Red. Huh? Good luck. Oh, thanks. Oh, and, uh, and Mabel? Yeah? You didn't have to ask Nick to talk to me about the job. I was going to take it anyway. He told you about me? Now, he didn't say anything. I just knew. Nobody has to tell me about you, Mabel. Pete Critt, can't you see the little red flag that indicates the five-inch sign that warns? Danger, keep your distance. The bump in the road, remember? The bump that detonates the obliterating flash of dynamite. But in this case, a new brand of dynamite. A supercharged high nitro ready to blow at the touch of the sputtering flame of a relentless obsession. In just a moment, we return to our story. To return to the explosive laden atmosphere of the story of dynamite, starring Susan Hayward, fought by on the undeviating calendar of the pendulum. But the same monotonous pattern weaves in the shimmering heat of Joe's place. The same roaring diesels of the trucks backfiring to a stop. The same pungent venison of hot coffee to bolster red rimmed eyes in the long trek. The same drivers, the same loud, almost obscene laughter over the same jokes of the coast-to-coast highways. And the same Mabel, her mind quickening with the ever-building selfish strength of the bursting germ obsession. I didn't hear a word from Grant, not even a postcard. Of course, I didn't hear of any accidents down that way either, so I figured he was okay. Probably just being stubborn, thinking maybe I'd worry about him if he didn't write. Well, if that was the case, you ought to know better. Hello, Mabel. Hello, Fred. Miss me. How did you make out downtown? Pretty good. Come on, let's take a walk. I'll tell you all about it. Can't leave the counter. Ah, come on, just for a minute. We can watch the door. All right. It's well night, isn't it? Uh-huh. You look pretty swell yourself. Thanks. I've been thinking about you. I thought about you a lot. You did? I even imagined things about you. Do you ever do that? Imagine things about people? Some people. Did you ever imagine anything about me? I don't know. I don't think so. Once or twice, I imagine you and me being married. Now, it's kind of crazy, wasn't it? Yeah. Of course, all this talk, it doesn't matter much, but... Well, I made 3,000 bucks down south, and here it is. Hey, that's a lot of money. You can leave here now, anytime you want. Where to, Mabel? San Francisco? The East? No, Los Angeles. I like it down there. How come you're doing this for me? Well, you expected me to, didn't you? I figured you would. That's why I asked Nick to give you the job. Why the act then? You got what you wanted. Yeah, but... Well, kind of a surprise, getting it all at once like this. Ah, that's the best way. Keeps us from kidding each other. I wanted to give you the money, and that's why you got it. No other reason. You're a good guy, Fred. You're a real good guy. I'm sort of crazy, that's all. I got one more HE run, San Francisco to LA. I'm going to quit after that. Will I see you again? No. Fred. Yeah. I want to see you again. Honest. Why? Well, I lied to you just a minute ago. I have imagined things about you. Even like... Yeah? Well, even like the things you imagined. Well, I thought it was just a dough. I thought so too. Oh, Mabel. Look, it was just you and me. Just you and me. Would this place still look so bad, you know? I don't think so. I told you about that last run of mine. Well, I'm going to make it. And when I get back from LA, see if you still feel the same way. Will you do that? I'll wait for you. When are you going down? Come our tonight. Stop in before you go, huh? Okay. Don't you want to take some coffee with you? All right. Better hurry it up, though. I'm late now. Hey, y'all. Hope it stays warm. Thanks. Well, I'll be seeing you. Fred. I'll be back Saturday. Say, uh, you like dancing? Sure. They're having a big dance up at Bakersfield Saturday night. Maybe we could go. That'd be swell. Okay, then it's a date. It's a date. And, uh, Mabel. Yeah? Hang on to that dough. I'll have another thousand to put with it when I finish this run. Maybe we can buy something we both want with it. Sure, Fred. Hey, Fred. Oh, Nick. Hi, Nick. Hi. I thought I saw your truck out there. You're running a half-hour behind schedule. You better get going. Oh, yeah, yeah, right away. Well, Mabel, I... Fred, don't you want to kiss me? What? Oh, sure. Sure, I want to kiss you. Take care of yourself. I will. Goodbye. Bye. See you, Nick. Yeah, okay, Fred. What do you have, Nick? Gee, you like that guy, don't you? What do you have, Nick? The usual. Pie and coffee. He's a good driver. Glad you recommended him. I'm not. He told me today he was quitting after this run. That wouldn't be on account of... Nick, why don't you just forget it? Oh, dear, if you say so. I didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little jumpy or something. I don't know. What's the truck? No trouble, exactly. The truck. It's a bull up. Did you... Yeah, it was the truck all right, but... Listen, Mabel, it wasn't so bad. Fred jumped before it happened. He was thrown clear. Something must have gone wrong with the truck, and he noticed it before it was too late. Fred's all right? Well, not exactly. You see, he got a shock from the concussion. Where is he? I called the company ambulance. They're taking him to the hospital now. They'll do everything they can, Mabel. Is he going to die, Nick? I don't know anything about those things. But look, I'm going to the hospital myself. I'll call you as soon as I find out something. I'll be here. Hello. Hello, Mabel. Operation. Going to cost a lot of dough. When Fred came to a while ago, he said he gave you $3,000 to keep for him. Better hop a bus, easier. Money? You got it, haven't you? Yeah. Yeah, I got it. Good. Well, catch a bus up here right away. Stand for the hospital in Bakersfield. All right, Nick. Goodbye. Money. $3,000. He gave me that money to get away to go to Los Angeles. No other reason to get away. Nick, Nick, where's Mabel? No, over there. There's a pencil and paper. Write it down. Yeah, I should have been by now. Yeah, can you read that? She should have. What do you think's keeping her? She probably couldn't get a bus. She probably couldn't. But if you called her four hours ago, I don't understand. I... Fred! Nick, maybe you ought to... Oh, Fred, I almost did a terrible thing. Oh, look, honey. I can't hear a thing you say. You'll have to write it all down. Fred, I almost did a terrible thing. I can't understand. Just wait here. Here's a pencil. I want a pen or two. Even if you can't hear me, you can look at me anyway. I'm ashamed of Fred. For the first time in my life, I'm ashamed. All right. Write it down, darling. Please. Look, I started to take the bus for Los Angeles. And then I got off, Fred. Because I realized... I did realize, Fred, you've got to believe that. All I want now is for you to get well. Please get well. Oh, Mabel. Mabel, you're crying. Why are you crying, honey? More apple pie? No, thanks. I think that'll do me. Yeah, what's the damage? 30 cents, penny tax, 31. Yeah. Just right, thanks. Mabel. Hello, Fred. Honey, I got some terrific news. What is it? You know those oranges I've been carrying from Santa Anna? Uh-huh. Well, I always have to make a check-in stop at LA with them. This morning, when I stopped off, the guy there hands me this. Oh, Fred, this is swell. I'm going to be at this spot. I'm going to be at this fat show. What do you think of that? He is wonderful. Yeah, and you better start packing. We'll be leaving for Los Angeles the first of the week. We're going to live there? Sure. Y'all, we said you wanted to, didn't you, honey? And next week, we'll be leaving, Fred and me. No more Joe's play. No more watching the trucks go by. Oh, by the way, they re-rooted DHEs. They don't come by here anymore. And maybe it's just as well. You know, any guy that would drive one of those things is playing with dynamite. If properly handled, dynamite becomes innocuous. The laws of physics decree that no power is released without a reason. The fuse must be lit. The detonator set before the sleeping destruction is loose. And thus, on the San Francisco to Los Angeles run of high explosives, the fuse was snipped in time. The detonator removed from a case of dynamite created from obsession. In just a moment, I'll be back with a preview of next week's story. A different twist on one of frustration when love fails to recognize the symbol of its own creation. A story as free of mystery and murder on the distance side, as it is filled with the hesitant seas and doubts that arise from the vice-like grip of an obsession. You'll find many forgotten moments of your own life tucked away in the building part of wind songs. A story you'll hold at the monument to your own happiness and security and love. That is sung on the sweet Aeolian zippers of the wind. In next week's story of Direction of C.P. McGregor in Hollywood.