Ok, weird.

[Shari]

husband and I are sitting here. I'm reading posts, and he's watching the tube (shocking, I know).

It is 11:30 pm. Our lights are on.

A car pulled in the drive and a woman came to the door. She says she's new here and got called in to work tonight, she just opened a checking account at the bank and doesn't have her debit card yet, so she has no way to get gas money to get to work. She saw our lights on and just stopped.

Incredibly disturbing...

Much to husband's chagrin, I gave her $14. Mostly just to get her out of the house. She was talking a mile a minute...honestly trying to get to work? Could be. Manic? possible. Strung out? possible. Didn't invite her in far enough to look at her. She showed id, cell phone number, gave names of locals who she's renting from and an address I know...

Very uneasy feeling...

 

[InsaneCdn]

VERY weird. And yes, I'd be feeling very uneasy, too.

 

[Shari]

I haven't locked the door in years. I will be locking it tonight.

 

[InsaneCdn]

I grew up in the city. I even lock the doors to take the dogs across the street to the park for 5 minutes, in clear view of the house. Flip, I even lock the house to do that if the kids are home and it's broad daylight!

But I have "country" friends... and they tell me they are never more afraid then when they have to lock their doors...

{{hugs}}

 

[hearts and roses]

Creepy. on the other hand, maybe she was telling the truth and was grateful and will pay your kindness forward. Gotta hope for the best but prepare...

 

[Shari]

The last time we locked the doors was when husband's nephew was around. lol To keep him from smoking weed and watching porn in our house while he skipped school...

I dunno. I hope she was just really desperate, and she really does call me in the morning with the $14...

 

[Shari]

I don't keep cash on hand. Never have. Its a rarity that I have more than $5. lol

 

[Hound dog]

Hmm. Well, it's certainly odd. But given she showed you ID and gave you where she lives and her cell, sounds like she may just be having some really lousy luck. Awful nice of you to give her the cash. I'm not sure if I would have or not, but probably not.

But........when easy child was a baby, we'd just moved to dayton not long before, I was at a new job driving a 5 speed for the first time.......discovered the windshield wipers didn't work in the middle of one of those down pours you can't see your hand in front of your face. I pulled over to the side of the road and ran with easy child to the first house I spotted. Yes, I was panicked. husband was out of town for work. I didn't know anyone except his parents. So I knock on the door (I'm sure I was a sight now that I think about it from their perspective) I'm hysterical trying to explain the wipers won't work in a car I'm unfamiliar with and I just learned to drive the day before (20 mins worth of lessons) and that would they please let me call mother in law for help. They were a nice older couple and sat me down and talk to me to calm me down then let me call mother in law. Not long after the rain stopped.......and well, on the way home I got into an accident by a drunk who rear ended me (that was NOT a good day lol ) but that wasn't their fault.

So it's very likely what she said was true. I hope she calls you to pay you back or pays it forward.

I went more than 15 yrs here without ever locking a door. I lock them now. The economy has made for some mighty desperate people in the area.

 

[DammitJanet]

That is strange! Do you actually live on a main road or are you back in a field where someone would have pass other houses to get to you?

If you live right on a main road and were the only place with your lights on I can kinda see this happening in a really small town. I live in a place that we never lock our doors and we leave our keys in the cars. I have to keep on Tony not to leave the keys in the car when he goes in the store! Heck, Jamie lives 40 miles south of Difficult Child and he doesnt lock his front door though he does lock his car.

When we lived right on the road that we now live off of (does that make sense? Our driveway leads off this road.) We did have a woman come knocking at our door one day saying she was having a fight with her boyfriend and she needed help. Only issue was we never could find a boyfriend anywhere around and she was acting psychotic and wondering from house to house accusing each person of being the boyfriend and trying to stop cars. Several of us called the cops.

 

[Shari]

I think what is unsettling is that she asked for more. Not pushy, but asked. She's only driving about 15 miles and was in a newer car. Even with gas prices as they are, that will more than get her to work and back and leave her an easy $7 for something to eat...
But yes, I hope she was just truly in need...and if I never see the $14 again...well, I'll enjoy the salad I bought today this week for lunch...lol
Janet we are on a main road into town. There are several houses she'd have passes to get here but we would probably be the only ones with lights on, and I had been putting away laundry so most of the lights in the house were on.

 

[tiredmommy]

I'd definitely lock the doors and windows. She may have been sent ahead to check out your place for a break-in or burgulary. Do you have a dog?

 

[AnnieO]

We can't lock our doors during the day, which drives me crazy - born and until age 14 raised in a border city. You locked or you lost. But - Jett leaves for school after we leave for work and gets home before we do. Makes me nuts. Yes, he has a key. However... on the other hand we lock them all at night. I'm sure Onyxx didn't when she left, but only so much a person can do. And oddly, we're in a pretty good neighborhood - plus, all the local hoods are friends to either Onyxx or the boy next door and would NOT EVER mess with husband... Not after they were throwing rocks at her window at 2 AM and got to see the business end of the rifle LOL! (They couldn't see that it wasn't loaded...)

 

[DaisyFace]

I think what is unsettling is that she asked for more. Not pushy, but asked.

Yes - that is the unsettling part...

One would think that a person truly in an emergency situation would have thanked you up one side and down the other for even $5 !

If she asked for more, it sounds like she was scamming you.

Since she gave you an address that you recognized, any chance you know someone there that you could casually call and ask about this "newcomer" ?

 

[trinityroyal]

I've always lived in cities, and always locked all house and car doors. We live in a good neighbourhood, but I'm not big on taking risks. Also, our house is the first one on a court (I think you call them cul-de-sacs?), so we're right next to the major street that we branch off. There's also a bus stop at the edge of our yard, not in frequent use, but still... One night I forgot to lock my car, and the next morning all of the change that I keep in the console for parking metres and such was gone. Not a big deal, but still, a reminder.

Shari, I've had something similar happen, except it was broad daylight. A man drove up and stopped in my driveway, with a story about needing money. I can't remember the details, but it didn't hang together and he had too much detail. I sent the fellow packing.

I do hope that you were truly able to help someone in need and that she does return the money to you. You have a good attitude about it in any case.

 

[TerryJ2]

Shari, for your sake, I hope she really needed the money for what she said, because driving on a residential street that time of night and just knocking on a random door makes no sense to me.
Hmm.

 

[Shari]

Terry, I'm not residential. lol We're out of town. She said she knew some folks on down the road from us. She was also heading back towards town instead of out of it, but again, that one can be "logic-ed" away by the fact that our driveway is on the town-side of our house, quite a ways before you get to our house...she may well have seen the house and decided to stop after she passed the drive.

And if I were in her situation, a $5 would have been thrilling. That would have been enough to at least get me to work. She would be getting off as the morning staff would be coming in, and I've borrowed a buck or two from a co-worker before...plus the bank opens at 8.

We do have indoor dogs. two are very small, but the third is a medium sized heeler. I decided I'll work from home today, and husband suggested I stash the car so its not obvious that I'm here or not here, which sounded like a good idea. If it wasn't an easy option, we'd lock up and go about our business, but you know the old saying, good fences make good neighbors...when she calls to pay me back, she'll catch me at home. (choosing to say when! lol)

 

[PatriotsGirl]

I grew up in the city. I even lock the doors to take the dogs across the street to the park for 5 minutes, in clear view of the house. Flip, I even lock the house to do that if the kids are home and it's broad daylight!

I live out in the country and I keep that door locked always. Even when we are home, sitting in the living room. There are plenty of home invasions in other areas - I don't need to be giving them free access.

I would have been freaked out, too. We used to have a crack addict neighbor YEARS ago up in Massachusetts when the children were babies. She would come knocking on our door all of the time begging for money. I was SO happy when she was evicted...

 

[muttmeister]

Weird, yes and I agree about keeping the doors locked but I'd have probably given her something too. IF she was telling the truth, you've helped a neighbor. If not, your heart was in the right place and you tried and $14 is probably not going to bankrupt you. I don't like being taken advantage of but I try to remember to treat others as I'd like to be treated. And if she ever shows up again without paying you back, you'll have a good excuse to turn her down.

 

[Shari]

EXACTLY, Mutt.

I make, and try to live by, a conscious choice to believe the majority of people are still good. Because I think they are, and I refuse to live in fear of the minority who are not.

I've needed and received help before from perfect strangers. Pay it forward!

 

[Signorina]

I live in a neighborhood in a "safe" suburb -but my doors are locked, alarm is on when we sleep or are out-and sometimes even when I am home. (Our houses are set back and we're in a wooded area-and we don't have a dog)

It may sound OTT-BUT-last summer we received a warning letter from the pd. Apparently, a distressed woman was ringing doorbells and giving a sob story which varied from fleeing an abuser to car trouble etc. While she busied the homeowner at the front door, her cohorts were slipping thru the unlocked back doors & stealthily cleaning out jewelry boxes & electronics in a matter of minutes. Total pros-part of a "known" crime ring.

You did a good thing. But I would also call the non emergency # at the PD just in case-and to give them a heads up. She may have been truly in need -or-she may have been trolling, she may have been hoping a single, elderly person answered,or my guess is she desperately needed a fix. etc.

I feel bad being the "jaded" poster to a good Samaritan ... But my difficult child is a substance abuser AND I am a retailer-and we've seen so many scammers/thieves. . .

Please don't let my "jadedness" color your good act of kindness.