Sometimes things happen and you don't have much time to think about them when they do. I was at the Fry's grocery store the other day searching for my mega winning lottery ticket so I could cash it in and get my mega winnings of 6 bucks. While I was searching in my bottomless pit of a purse there was this old lady standing next to this elderly man, basically standing on top of this old man. I would say she was maybe in her mid 60's but it was so hard to tell b/c her voice sounded old but her body didn't look that old. She had her hair in a bandana so you couldn't see how long her hair was and she had a visor on top of it. She wore those big sunglasses that you get when have your eyes dialated at the eye doctor. I don't know why people wear those after that because if you ask me they are a big fashion faux pas. Any who, she then took a few steps back and asked an employee who was standing there if she could give her a ride to Tumbleweed park. The employee told her no, mainly b/c she was working, and then the lady saw the next victim, me. I have always told my daughter never to pick up hitchhikers and I had never picked up a hitchhiker in my life. So what do I do? I've never even thought of a situation like this. I mean here is an elderly woman who is saying she is stranded and she just needs a ride to Tumbleweed park which was about 4 miles down the road. As soon as I said O.K. I knew I was in trouble. She was instantaniously glued to my side. I could tell the elderly gentleman that was waiting to cash in his winning ticket was probably the one who gave her the money to catch the bus. I wasn't aware of the whole story until she asked him again where she needed to go to catch the bus. He pointed north and gave her this get away from me look. As soon as she got the directions she was now right on top of me. I mean she made me so uncomfortable. She got right up into my personal space that I had to tell her to wait over by the door while I checked out. I felt like she was doing a complete inventory of what I had in my cart and what I had in my purse. My stomach started to churn as I am telling myself everything will be O.K. I paid for my groceries and the minute I got to the door she was attached to my hip again. We got to the car and I unloaded my groceries and we headed toward the direction of the park. She then pulled out the change and five dollar bill that she had and told me she wished that she had enough money to pay me for my kindness. I told her no need that it was fine. Then she began to ask me if this was enough money to get her to Mesa, which is the next town north of me. I told her yes. Then she asked me if I would mind giving her a ride to her home in Phoenix. I told her unfortunately I couldn't b/c I had groceries in the car and who knows where in Phoenix this woman needed to go. She then proceeded to talk about random things. She asked me if I used an electric razor to shave my legs or a regular razor. She wanted to know where I lived, if I lived in a big house, a small house, a trailer, etc. She then told me that she is a bum and that she doesn't like doing it but she had no choice. She usually gets rides from business men b/c they don't seem to mind giving her a ride. I asked her how she ended up in Chandler if she lived in Phoenix. Chandler is about 22 plus miles south of Phoenix. She told me that she had never been to Fry's in Chandler that is why she was there. She said she was hitching a ride and needed to go to the bathroom and the people who were giving her a ride took her to Fry's so she could use the bathroom and when she came back out they were gone. Red flags started going up and I thought, oh no, what have I gotten myself into.
We pulled into Tumbleweed park where I had no idea of where I was going. The elderly man said there was a park and ride. I pulled up to the Recreational center and told the woman that she was at Tumbleweed park and she should go in and ask where the bus picked up. She didn't want to get out of my car. She told me that this didn't look like the place and asked me again if I could take her to Mesa. I told her unfortunately I had groceries and I couldn't do that. She then saw a lady that was walking into the Center and asked her if this was where the bus picked up. The lady said no, that this was the Rec Center. She then proceeded to ask that lady if she would give her a ride to Mesa and showed her the money she had in her hand. The lady told her no, she was going into the Rec Center. I told hitchhiking lady she needed to get out of my car and go ask someone at the front desk of the Rec Center where she needed to go b/c she was at said destination. She didn't want to get out of my car unless she was guaranteed that there was a way for her to get to Mesa. The passerby lady saw the panic on my face and reassured hitchhiking lady that someone at the front desk could assist her. She told her that they would call someone to pick her up. The hitchhiking lady finally decided to get out of my car and thus attached herself to the passerby lady whom I mouthed three Thank You's to. She gave me a knod and said she would take care of getting her inside and helping her find her way home, where ever that was because I couldn't figure out if it was Mesa or Phoenix. Hitchhiking lady kept asking her over and over if she would mind giving her a ride to Mesa. I just wondered if once she found someone to give her a ride to Mesa if that would turn into getting her a ride to Prescott and then to Nevada or California, and so on and so on. Maybe that is why the people who originally gave her a ride, thanked the Lord when she had to relieve herself thus giving them an opportunity to press the pedal to the metal and get the heck out of dodge before their perma passenger got back into the car.
All I can say is after she got out of my car and I let out a big sigh of relief I realized that this lady was really in good shape and she had the most flawless, beautiful, wrinkle free,golden skin, at least what I could see of it under those gi-normous glasses she was wearing. She was in excellent shape as far as physical appearance but her voice sounded like an elderly woman's voice. She had no groceries in her reusable grocery bag just clothes that she said she was originally wearing but someone gave her the skirt she was wearing b/c it was too hot to walk in.
I then thought to myself. What would my daughter do in this situation because I never thought I would find myself in this situation. I called her up and asked her. If she was in a grocery store and there was an elderly woman stranded and she needed a ride about 4 miles away would you give her a ride. She said, "yes". I told her that was the wrong answer and then began telling my story. I told her the only way that she should say yes is if the woman has groceries, thus a reason for being at the grocery store, and she has a walker or cane. I hope I never find myself in that predicament again.
No Hitchhiking signs provided off of Wikimedia.
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