I got up early today to do a Random Act of Kindness, Good Samaritan, Thousand Points of Light thingie. Most mornings on the way to work, on the 1/2 mile windy stretch from my house (residential area) to the main thoroughfare thru this part of town, I see one or two women, no connection to eachother, walking to work. Both are older and not walking very fast. I figure they have to be walking a mile or two to a bus stop or to one of the restaurants, grocery store, businesses, on this end of town. Normally, when I see them, I am in the dangerous curve part of the road with no pull off. I can't stop to offer them a ride further on down the line on my way to work without causing a major collision with people whipping round the bend and rear-ending the car.

It was cold this morning and I decided to leave early to catch one or both of them. Sure enough, one of the women was still in the residential area near a safe pull-off. I pulled over rolled down my window and offered her a ride to the end of the 1/2 mile lane. She got in the car and we discussed I was on my way to Frederick, but could take her the mile or so into town to where she was going. She was in her 60s and had a heavy Jamaican accent. She said the end of the lane was perfect. We got there and she said she was a little further up. I drove to the next pull off and she said a little further. I asked where, and she said at the grocery store (one turn off up). So I get to the turn off outside the store, which is perfect for me to drop her and not get into heavy traffic, but she wanted me to take her to the store parking lot itself a little further up. We get to the store and I pull between the bus stop and front door (close to each other) I wish her a good day and all that and she doesn't move. Just stares at me.

Physically, I am not scared. I am thinking she is not understanding me (heavy accent and all). I ask if I took her to the right spot, and she said yes, she catches the bus here, but she really works at WalMart (about 20-25 minutes across town) and wants me to drive her to work. LOL. I say I am running late for work, which I am by then, and ask if she could take the bus... She said, "I suppose I could take it..." and leaves in a huff. LOL.

It was funny and perplexing. I just saved her a mile or two of walking to the bus stop in the cold on my way to work and she is upset I won't drive 40 minutes round trip out of my way to her job... when she rides the bus every day... I expected a pleasant thank you and good bye. Not a huff.

When she didn't budge from the car, I almost called my boss to take an hour of leave to take her to work and tell him if I wasn't in in two hours, to call my parents because I was dead...
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

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