The Leftovers

The Healing Hug Movement assigns Tom to escort Christine to Boston, where she will be taken in by supporters of Holy Wayne. They spend several weeks hitchhiking from San Francisco to Denver disguised as members of the Barefoot People, a cult born of the rapture that idealizes nomads, infrequent showering, walking barefoot, hitchhiking, and painting bullseyes on their foreheads so that “’the Creator will recognize’” (171) them. They stop at a bus terminal in Denver and plan to take a series of buses the rest of the way to Boston, as pregnant Christine no longer wants to hitchhike and camp. At the terminal, they are teased for their unconventional clothes and association with the Barefoot People by a solider on leave who is named Henning.

Tom and Christine pretend to be in a relationship, though their light teasing of each other only increases the sexual tension that Tom perceives between the two of them. He does not believe that Christine’s child is a savior, nor does he believe in Wayne’s cause anymore. He stays with Christine because he is in love with her. On the bus, Tom choses to sit across the aisle from Christine to give himself some distance, leaving a seat next to her open.