For a moment he was about to walk on down the road, but instead he sat on the running board on the side away from the restaurant.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 2. Hitchhiker Tom Joad shows from the beginning his independent spirit and willingness to break rules. Ignoring the "No Riders" stick on the truck’s windshield, he takes a seat on the running board with the intention of hitching a lift