I have not lived closed by my oldest son, James, in over 10 years and during that time he has gone from being a teenager to a grown man. He is five minutes away now and it is fantastic to have him near. You could say we are getting to know each other again. There is one quirk in my personality he has forgotten and that is my ability to have unusual people approach me without my encouragement. The first time it happened with James was a couple weeks ago when we were ordering ice cream and this man walked in and singled me out to ask what I ordered. I told him Dark Chocolate and Coffee. That started an interesting conversation between light and dark, in that order. He was explaining it to me not in the sense that dark is evil and light is good but how nature marches in light and dark. I had to disagree with him on that and he pointed out my choice in ice cream. Then he explained how the ground was light and the sky dark. You know it made sense. The whole time I was talking to this gentleman my son kept trying to push his way between us and then he tried to pull me away. I tried to explain to him that this is what happens to me and I have had only a handful of scary experiences that I was able to deal with.
The one thing that hasn’t happened to me was having someone approach me in my vehicle when it is in drive. There is always the first time though.
A few days ago I had to slow down to avoid hitting a lady. She then ran over to the van before I could hit the accelerator and knocked on driver’s side door. I rolled down the window and the aroma of a alcohol wafted in. She said “can I have a ride?” I asked her for her purse and she gave it to me and I told her… get in.
I decided that if she is carrying a weapon it would be in her purse and what she was wearing left very little to the imagination, button up shirt with one button buttoned and shorts that would make Daisy Duke blush in shame. She explained she needed to get to Frys to pick up her meds. Such a sad lady. No I will not pick up anymore strangers because that did make me feel uncomfortable. It really surprised me that she was so quick to hand me her purse through the window. The power of drink.
The one thing that hasn’t happened to me was having someone approach me in my vehicle when it is in drive. There is always the first time though.
A few days ago I had to slow down to avoid hitting a lady. She then ran over to the van before I could hit the accelerator and knocked on driver’s side door. I rolled down the window and the aroma of a alcohol wafted in. She said “can I have a ride?” I asked her for her purse and she gave it to me and I told her… get in.
I decided that if she is carrying a weapon it would be in her purse and what she was wearing left very little to the imagination, button up shirt with one button buttoned and shorts that would make Daisy Duke blush in shame. She explained she needed to get to Frys to pick up her meds. Such a sad lady. No I will not pick up anymore strangers because that did make me feel uncomfortable. It really surprised me that she was so quick to hand me her purse through the window. The power of drink.
 | I tried to be constant just like a star I tried to be steady and yar But the storms keep breaking over my head I'm aching for blue skies instead 'Cause I'm a zephyr on the inside And it's a hard ride when you feel your heart tied down Hide-and-earth bound But there's no tether I'm a zephyr ~Mary Chapin Carpenter~ |
3 comments:
As a 30 year retired cop, you really took a chance, with that lady, she could have had an accomplice ,ale secreted behind a car and then car jacked you or worse. Please be safe out there. Sam & Donna...
When we were kids, I followed Pepper like a puppy. I watched how she handled people and how she judged them. Sometimes the ones I thought were oh so cool... were not, and she would pull me away, telling me what to watch for. She showed me how to enjoy the woods and what to be afraid of there too. We swam in the lake around water moccasins all the time, but she showed me what to stay away from, and what to do if they approached.
I think her ability to attract odd people and circumstances rubbed off on me a little. Once in W.Palm Beach, crossing a drug area late at night, when I stopped at a light, a young fellow ran out and jumped onto the hood of my car, face plastered to my window and staring in at me.
Well - it was love bug season, and for people in Florida, they know what that means to windshields. I gawked at him several heartbeats and then just Bust out laughing. Man, he sure had a mouthful of nasty. He gawked back at me, then cracked up laughing too. Jumped off and waved at Beth and I, and we drove on.
I think my point is - your time is not dictated by you and how careful you are. Bad things happen to good people, and then you try to make something good come from it. Pepper and I were stalked by a pack of wild dogs that chased us for a mile when we were walking home from the bus one afternoon and we only just escaped. Hey, after that we got driven and didn't have to walk to stinking 4 miles home every night.
Being careful is a given, but closing yourself off..
I don't regret any of the crazy people I've met and been open to meeting. I've learned so much. And I love Pepper for opening my eyes at a young age to seeing beyond the surface. And to take every day as a blessing and a gift to be shared. It's a special gift, and she's a special person.
ps Sam/Donna reading over what I wrote I wanted to make sure to say that I am positive you know special she is and am not refuting you telling her to be careful. I just wanted to share some memories with her, since it's been a long time since we reconnected. :)
Okay, so you already know that I think you're a crazy lady. . .
So I'll just skip to asking who the heck is the person above me??? And will they share some more stories? Because I haven't heard of the wild dog story.
You are a special person momalu, indeedydodo you are.
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