Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Val's Latest Weirdo Encounter

I was thrilled to see that the closest handicap parking space at Country Mart was available on Monday afternoon. Not so thrilled to see a dude sitting on the bench right by it. Meaning I would have an audience as I slid out of T-Hoe and got my knees limbered up. Occasionally people are sitting there, but usually it's a pair of them.

The dude was smoking a cigarette. Had his dark hair pulled back in a neck-level ponytail. He looked like a less-feminine version of Timothy Chalamet. Imagine when I got out and discovered the dude was a lady! Let the record show that Val does not have cat-hunting golden-eagle-eye vision!

The late 40s lady was quite congenial. She greeted me. Asked how my day was going. I shared that the car door had closed on me at the gas station, blowing shut with a gust of wind as I was standing by it. She hoped I wasn't injured. I assured her I was still kickin'.

When I came out with my cart/walker, and used my clicker to raise T-Hoe's back hatch, Lady jumped up and said, "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, no. That's okay. I've got it. I have to re-bag some stuff. That gal put a 3-lb bag of onions on top of my bananas!"

"I hate it when they do that. If you're sure, then..."

"Yes. It's fine."

When done, I pushed the cart/walker over to the side of the building. "I always leave this here, in case the next person wants to use it to lean on while walking in. I know I'm happy when I find a cart waiting."

"Oh, I understand."

As I was climbing up on the running board, before sitting down and wrangling my legs into T-Hoe, Lady said, "Would you be going by the old Patsy's Furniture over on Far Off Drive?"

"Nooo. I'm going the other way. Through School-Turn Town, and the back way over to Backroads."

"Oh. Okay. You be careful, and have a nice day."

"You too."

I knew when she started talking at the end that she was going to ask me for a ride. I was actually mulling it over when she gave the specifics. What would it hurt? She didn't LOOK dangerous. But you can't be too careful these days. What if she fell getting into T-Hoe? I have insurance. But I don't want to deal with a lawsuit. What if she had a box-cutter in her pocket, and decided to steal T-Hoe after I drove her over there? The old Patsy's is right by a highway entrance.

Thing is, I often go home that way. But this day, I was actually going the route I told her, because I had to get over to the Gas Station Chicken Store for crossword scratchers, since the Casey's where I got gas was out.

I still feel kind of bad. Even though I have no obligation to smoking ladies sitting on benches to drive them several miles across town.

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You ain't a-woofin'! When I told this story to The Pony, he said, "Well, it wouldn't even have taken a box-cutter. A piece of cardboard would have been a sufficient weapon, considering your thin skin."

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  2. Oh, a person would not need a piece of cardboard to get me under control. Just get me a teeny bit off balance, and I will fall right down. No need to cut me with anything. If I stepped backwards a bit, I would fall. Down again!

    I can play this game, too, about what could happen. I would think she might make me stop to pick up her boyfriend, confederates. They would hurt you really bad.

    You were wise not to help her.

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    1. I felt like I was safe from being pushed off-balance, because I would be sitting in the driver's seat. If I had a trunk to lock her in, I wouldn't have minded at all to give her a ride, heh, heh. It's just the safety issue. Not the gas, or going out of my way, or feeling taken advantage of.

      Oh, no! If her boyfriend was younger, he might have expected me to lift him into the seat! Or go inside the furniture store and push a chair out for him to sit in!

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  3. At least she was polite. Some of the characters I meet can be quite scary.

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    1. Yes... but later, I thought how maybe she could have been a sociopath, being so kind to lure me into "helping" her. Like Ted Bundy pretending to have a broken arm and asking his victims for help!

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  4. For my own safety I wouldn't have given her a lift either, also because she was smoking and that would cling to her and then be in my car, not good with my asthma.

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    1. I never thought of the smoking angle at all. Asthma might have saved your life!

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