Friday, May 23, 2008

Good Samaritan or Hopeful Abductor

I'll admit that when I am out running errands I am always a little nervous and make it a point to be extremely aware of my surroundings. I am this nervous because with two kids there is no quick way to get into the car. My 11 month old gets loaded in first while my daughter either stands right by me or remains in the cart. I then have to walk around the car and fasten her in and then walk back around the car to get myself in. I'm sure to many would be assailants I am an easy target. So, I do the best I can. I don't dilly dally; I load them in as fast as I can, hop in quickly, lock the doors, start the car, and take off as soon as my butt hits the seat and my foot hits the peddle.

Today was a different scenario and it could have cost me. I was leaving the gym and I didn't get my usual parking spot up front. I had to park around the side which is less visible and certainly less frequented. Like always I loaded the kids in quickly. However, instead of leaving immediately, I sat in the front seat (with the car running) and started to text my husband back. As I was doing that I had this weird kind of premonition where I could see someone sneaking up on me and banging on my window to carjack me or something and I thought, "I really should get going." No more than 30 seconds later an older man was tapping frantically on my window. I never saw the guy coming. Admittedly I was frightened. But I stayed really calm; no need to let him know he scared the shit out of me or upset my children.

He was motioning and yelling at me to roll down my window. I shook my head no and put the car into reverse. He kept telling me to roll it down and kept walking with my car as I was backing up. Once he realized I wasn't going to roll down the window he yelled out that my brake light was out. I yelled back okay and took off. The whole exchange creeped me out. I thought that a) he was completely lying or b) I really did have a brake light out but he was using it to lure me out of the vehicle or even just to roll down my window to then gain an advantage to do Lord knows what with me or to me or my children, for that matter He was just too insistent that I roll down my window to be a good samaritan. He could have easily said through the window that my brake light was out without the unrelenting tapping and frantic insistence that I roll the window down immediately. Maybe I am too skeptical, but I think God gave people, women in particular, a sixth sense for a reason and my intuition is very rarely wrong.

So, the lesson learned today is a)never under any circumstances remain in your car. Leave immediately and b) don't park on the side, isolated parking lot. Got it!

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