Reminded me of two stories: One, a couple of years back, I asked a black guy in his thirties, obviously with a dead battery outside a store, if he needed a jump. Poor guy looked like I'd asked him if he wanted a ticket to Mars. Guess not that many older white women strike up conversations. Anyway, it went well and I hope gave him a new outlook on the old "don't judge a book" adage.



The second: Last fall I was getting gas about 10:30 at night outside an Albertson's. Knew there was a car on the opposite side of the pump but there were also several others around so

didn't think anything of it. After I got the nozzle into my tank and the gas going, guy about my age gets out of his car and wants some money to buy gas to get home to a town about seventy miles from here. I told him I don't carry cash but did happen to have a couple of ones in my jeans' pocket so gave him those, making sure I kept the tanks between us. He looked rather disgusted (but pocketed them) and then asked if I couldn't just fill his tank on my credit card, too. I declined and cut my tank short so I could leave. As I was putting the cap back on, he was cleaning out his car of several big gulp type cups, etc.

Shared this story with a group of people at a meeting and they gave me his story almost verbatim. Seems's he works several stations around town that have all night unattended pumps. He shows up after the stores close and clerks leave.



Guess there are some who need help and always some who are jerks.

Trick is to not be taken advantage of.

And, I'm still horrified about picking up a stranger in this day!

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