Two Strangers (What would you do?)

[Ash]

I'd been meaning to write about this for over a month but forgot.
Here's what happened...

One morning I had gotten up late on a Monday morning and was in a hurry to get to class.
Getting to class on Mondays is a nightmare.  Mainly because my first class is at 9am and it seems like every student in the whole dang college is trying to get there at the same time.
The traffic just to get in the campus is insane.  Once you've beaten that, you have to try and find a parking space.  I gave up long ago on trying to find a decent spot and eventually just took what I could find, no matter how far away from the building it might be.  Finding a spot involves driving up and down countless rows of cars for what seems like an eternity.  Oh, and getting into a fender bender in the parking lots there is a real possibility because most of the kids there drive like maniacs.

Anyway, I was already running late and was outside scraping the ice off my car windows when these two guys I'd never seen before approached me.
They didn't look very nice.  They looked and dressed like criminals and had a shady look about them.  One guy was older (in his late 40's) and the other was much younger. (in his early to mid 20's)
The older guy walked up to me while the younger one stood back.  They wanted to know if I would give them a ride over to Wal-Mart because they had to meet the older guy's sister in ten minutes.
Right then, my suspicions were aroused because Wal-Mart is a five minute walk away from my apartment.
Yes, it was freezing outside, but Wal-Mart is very close.  Why would thay ask me that?
Thoughts of them putting a knife to my throat or a gun to my head and telling me to get the f**k out of my car entered my mind.  Yeah, I worried about them carjacking or robbing me.
It wouldn't have been so suspicious if they wanted to go to a place further away.
But asking for a ride to a place they could walk to in five minutes?
I don't think so!

I told them no and that I was already running late.  When I did, they both got this angry look on their faces, like they couldn't believe that I had just said no to them.  I gave them a look right back that said, "Get lost a$$holes!"  And I was holding one of those heavy long ice scrapers with sharp edges.
Then I got into my car and took off.
As I was driving out of the lot, I saw them approach one of my neighbors to ask him for a ride.  I never did ask him if he gave them a ride or not.
They may not have had criminal intentions, but I didn't want to find out either way.

What would you do in a situation like that?

[CaptnTripps]

I would have said no, but I dont trust anyone.

[ghouck]

The first question that comes to mind is: how populated is the area between you and walmart? If it's wooded or such, the chance that they were going to rob you are better, and that is where they were looking to get you. That said, it's doubtful they would have gone on to try and rob someone else after you seeing their faces. If they were dumb enough for that, they would be dumb enough to just plainly abduct you there. But, who knows.

In my experience, there is this retarded attitude of entitlement among people that have less that others. Just look at crap like that movie "New Jersey Drive", about how they say that people with nice cars don't deserve them. When I worked at a shipyard, I had several people tell me I was "lucky" to have a car, as if all the effort I put into getting and keeping a job, making payments, paying insurance and upkeep, keeping my license from getting suspended and such were mere accidents. Some of these idiots spend every dime they had on booze and weed, but if you had a car, you OWED them a ride. The whole Emo/Goth BS is out of hand, I see these kids in Anchorage and they're just so F-ing sad and lonely, but they LOOK like scum, they just do not look like someone you should turn your back on, BUT, they act as if they are unwilling outcasts, like they're p**sed the whole world doesn't come running up and give them a hug just for being there. If you want someone to give you a HUG, start by taking a SHOWER. They're not outcasts, they're just IGNORED.

Anyways, many people are amazingly misguided these days. I have SO many people that I interview for a job that only talk about what I can do for THEM. Then, when I fire them for either not doing anything/not being ABLE to do anything, or getting into trouble outside the shop, their entire defense is how much they owe for child support, or how they send money home to their family, never once addressing the actual job.

Anyways, , , back to something somewhere in the ballpark of the subject, Personally I wouldn't have trusted them either, but chances are they were just a***ole kids that think the world owes them a favor.

[akiratubo]

No way in hell I'd have given them a ride.

[Jack]

No way.  The last time I was a nice guy and gave somebody a ride, it turned out he was quite drunk and spent the whole 5 minutes telling me some very dramatic story about something he had done earlier in the day.  Then he invited me up to his apartment for some drinks.  I was just glad to get him out of my car.  A real Twilight Zone episode.  Now if anyone were to ask, I'd be extremely late for something and headed in the opposite direction anyway.

[meQal]

These days never give a ride to a stranger no matter how they look. Too many people are in desperate times and will do desperate things. Your tale sounds like a car jacking set up that failed to work on you. While I doubt they would of killed you, odds are you would of been out of a car and the contents of you wallet along with anything they considered vaulable. So telling them no was the right call.

[Wag]

I don't think I'd have given them a ride either - they were acting far too suspiciously, and you didn't know them so had no way of establishing if they were trustworthy or not.

I wouldn't give any stranger a ride, but then, there are loads of people I do know that I wouldn't have in my car.

[ghouck]

No matter what, the first order of business: Kick 'em in the taco. . .

[Psycho Circus]

I voted no, as I really struggle to trust anybody these days....



....Just put the pedal to the metal! 

[CheezeFlixz]

Seems I'm the only nice person here. I have truck, you want to ride get in the back, you try something stupid I can make you ride very unpleasant.

[akiratubo]

Actually, what I would do is completely freak out until my significant other got back from an errand.  Then we would hide from the strangers in the closet while trying to figure out how to load a shotgun.  When our friend came over to see us, we'd shoot him thinking he was one of the strangers.  Then, for no particular reason, my significant other and I would keep splitting up so that it would be easier for the strangers to capture us.

[ghouck]

Solid plan Akiratubo, solid plan. . .

[The Burgomaster]

Never give rides to strangers.  Ever.  This is how people end up on the 6:00 news.