the stray

[izzy]

after helping a buddy last evening, I get home about 7:00 I walk in the door and a strange young man is sitting at my kitchen table eating my leftover sloppy joe and I ask my wife how the hell this is. The kid (about 23 years old) jumps up and introduces himself as mike smith, he says he is looking for his wife who he thought lived on the next block, turns out she is no longer living there. he said he got off a greyhound bus from kansas sunday night and his wife was going to meet him but never showed, she had moved out here a few months ago and was staying with friends. So as my wife was going for her walk he aproached her asking if she knew the (friends). We dont know them and turns out they must have moved.He wanted to use our computer to try and get in touch with them from facebook. As he his on my computer I am watching him like a hawk, my wife his making him more food (my sloppy joes) to go. He neede a ride back to town about 25 miles> she took him back to the homeless shelter with 2 bags of food and 25.00 wished him good luck. I wa realy leary about this kid but turns out his wife was from the philipines, he met when he was over there in the army. WTH

 

[Sam_Fear]

May be all legit, or maybe he was BS, or even more, maybe his wife's story was BS.

My guess is, he was legit and his wife was BS'ing him. No matter what, it didn't hurt too bad to do something good.

 

[donsrods]

HUH !!!!!!!! The more I read your post the more confused I got ! Your wife, home all alone, takes in a perfect stranger and makes him a sandwich????????

First of all, his story sounds pretty d*** bogus to me.......Mike SMITH...got off the bus from Kansas, doesn't know where his wife lives? Your wife and you are lucky she was ok when you got home. I hate to be cynical, but this is 2011 and the days of letting complete strangers into your home (especially when you are a woman) are LONG GONE !

If she were my wife we would be having a VERY SERIOUS conversation right now about how she needs to grow up and start thinking about what could have happened to her. I hope you don't have children in the house ! I'm a man and wouldn't take a total stranger into my home.

Wow !!!!!!!!!!


Don

 

[sgtpontiac]

holy crap!!!!

Izzy.... gotta ask..... you don't know this guy....he's in your house when you get home..... has some cock and bull story about his missing wife.... your wife drives him 25 miles to the "homeless shelter" with food and money...ALONE......without you.....
Ahhhhh..... sounds a wee bit fishy to me..... I guess I've become cynical in my old age but.... sounds really ODD to me...... not to mention the most dangerous thing that anyone could ever do..... holy crap!!!

 

[donsrods]

Yeah, either izzy is pulling our legs a little, or something doesn't add up here. No one takes in a "homeless" guy, right off the bus, who doesn't even know where he is going, and sits him down at the table. If his wife DID do it, she really needs to wake up and see how women get raped and murdered today for being gullible and trusting.

Just last night I saw a pickup broken down on the road when I went to the shop to feed the stray cats. On the way back it was still there and I had some time so I thought I would stop and help the guy out. But as I was going up to make a U turn I was asking myself how wise that would be in case he were someone who could cause me harm.

I did go to help him, turned out to be a nice kid and he and I pushed his truck into a gas station (he had run out of gas) so that one turned out ok, but there is NO WAY I would invite a total stranger into my home. Too many Ted Bundys out there any more.

Don

 

[oldmanb]

So, maybe Izzies wife has a blackbelt? ..........or a really big gun in her purse?
This is almost laughable, if it's true. Why would anyone in their right mind take a risk like this?

 

[sgtpontiac]

It's one thing to help someone out.....

I did go to help him, turned out to be a nice kid and he and I pushed his truck into a gas station (he had run out of gas) so that one turned out ok, but there is NO WAY I would invite a total stranger into my home. Too many Ted Bundys out there any more.

Don[/QUOTE]

In the safety of your car you have at least some protection...roll a window down slightly and talk to them....but you don't just jump out and say Hey...car jacking....armed robbery.... etc. etc. etc....... something else has to be in play or like you said....something missing from this story....[S (Lord I hope there's something missing)

 

[Willowbilly3]

So just when did we turn into a country of paranoid wusses? There has always been lunatics amongst us and if all we do is project some negative vib and not help out our fellow man in need, what good are we? My ex used to pick up hitch hikers and bring them home. She is/was a very spiritual person and did pass by the ones she didn't have a good feeling about. I never once questioned her or felt the safety of our family was in jeopardy. We met some really interesting people who kept in touch for years, never forgot the little blond woman with a passle of kids who took them in from the rain, got them dry clothes, did their laundry, fed and bedded down for the night.
The downtodden will always be amongst us and our final judgement will be about how we treated the unfortunate ones.

 

[Sam_Fear]

So just when did we turn into a country of paranoid wusses?

Kinda my thoughts WB. BUT it also depends on where you live. I'm going to be a lot more careful where I live than where you live. And WAY more careful where Donsrods or Sarge lives.

 

[sgtpontiac]

The definition of Paranoia is....

Kinda my thoughts WB. BUT it also depends on where you live. I'm going to be a lot more careful where I live than where you live. And WAY more careful where Donsrods or Sarge lives.

unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, sometimes reaching delusional proportions.

I truly don't believe that our concerns were either unfounded or exaggerated considering our current state of society..... wish is wasn't this way but you certainly need to take a few more precautions today than even when I was a kid... my opinion is that the forms of media have desensitized our society to violence. This creates a terrible lack of value on human life...we also are living in a huge "me" society were people do not consider other people as a factor on who they take from or who they walk over to get what they want.... Maybe being a cop has made me a bit more cynical but certainly not paranoid about people being careful when dealing with strangers..... JMHO...and I do appreciate where you are coming from WB...I'd like it to be like Mayberry but facts are it just isn't the case in most of America anymore.....

 

[gassersgarage]

Here's an example of a total stranger in your house. When we bought our house, we had some rooms remodeled before we moved in. 2 years later, I was working lock-up at the courthouse when an new line of "fish" came in. "Fish" are new prisoners that are going for arraignment. One of the "fish" says remember me? I told him no. He said he worked on my house. I asked him what in was in jail for. He said murder. Turns out in killed his girlfriend. 2 weeks after that, another line of "fish" come in. A kid in line says, remember me? I said did you work on my house too? He said, yes, he did the plumbing. I asked what he was in jail for. He said murder. He had burglarized his neighbors apartment. When the neighbor was going to call the police, the kid beat him to death with a dumbbell. I hired a handyman to do some work around the house. 4 years later, he shows up at my station for 4 counts of date rape.

 

[sneakysnake]

Just reading this made the hair on the back of my neck tingle, way to vague of a story and pieces dont fit. glad it worked out, but me and the wife would have us a little talk!

 

[donsrods]

This isn't 1950 any more, when we trusted everyone and never locked our doors. Sadly, life is very cheap these days and all you have to do is pick up the newspaper or watch the evening news to see what we have become. The world is full of stories where some dogooder took in some stranger to help him out and ended up robbed or dead. People will kill you for a couple of dollars these days, usually to get their next fix.

I'm the first person to feel compassion for someone in need, but you have to temper that with caution and look out for yourself and your family first.

Don

 

[Willowbilly3]

About 10-12 years ago, still living in Alaska, we were coming home from church and there was a guy laying in the ditch by a turn out. It was late spring but still some snow on the ground. I knew everyone in the 3 cars ahead of us, all coming from church too probably and not on of them bothered to stop, maybe even sped up a little. Since I was only 3/4 mile from home I quickly took the wife and kids to the house and came back to the guy and my wife call the troopers.
He was a big man and obviously a bit drunk but very compliant. The troopers show up in a single cab pickup and shake the guy down. He has a couple cans of beer on him and when they run his ID they said he was a know substance abuser. The cops wouldn't even give the guy a ride, excuse was they couldn't fit him in the pickup. I said I would give him a ride down to the gas station/C-store and they warned me it wasn't a good idea because he might have needles on him or something. I'm not sure what they thought he should do. Anyway I did give him a ride and got him a meal but I wanted to get home to my Sunday dinner. I got to feeling guilty and turned around and went back to check on him and he was gone. I know I should have done more for him and I also know it wouldn't have changed him much if at all.
I know you gotta live where you gotta live and I feel sorry for those of you who live in areas where your concern for safety has desensitized you to the human condition. We think it's "they" who are responsible for the de-sensitization but it's always some "us" too. I even find that I'm not as helpful as I was 15 years ago.

 

[donsrods]

I don't think you have to live in LA, Miami, Chicago, NYC, or any other big city these days to experience crime and violence. Small town America isn't immune to horrific crimes. Look at some of the "home town" places Ted Bundy plied his craft. small towns in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and more. Even Natalie Holloway was murdered in Aruba, the last place you would expect to find a serial killer.

No, I think it is nice to be nice to people, but you just have to temper that goodwill with some 2011 common sense. There are a whole bunch of people out there who do not think like we do. Unfortunately, their numbers seem to be growing.

Don

 

[hotrod preacher]

the media has a great affect on our perceived change in people. i personally think that there have always been the "crazies" who steal, rape, and kill, but the global news media is always looking for a "good story" which always includes "bad things happening" to some poor unfortunate person of society, which in turn changes our perception of how often these things actually happen-not trying to take away from a real danger, just my observation.
I do not help every one i come in contact with, or pass by, i use my personal judgment, and common sense, and will help those who i believe truly need it, and as i feel led to help. i also believe many women are better at judging character than men are, so enter that into the equation as well...
but as far as allowing a complete stranger into our home--my wife would be the first to NOT DO THAT, b/c of a momma-bear protection mode she has for our kids...

so to end my rant, help people if you can, but do so without putting yourself our your family in danger... (i think this is basicly what don said in alot less words )

 

[42chevy]

Gassers garage, I would do my own home repairs from now on. I am very careful who I help, I listen to my inner voice. I have helped people broken down in cars, but that scares me more than most stuff. A fake damsel in distress can lure a lot of decent guys to help, then have someone ambush you.

 

[izzy]

yes, me and the wife had a very long talk about this, she is 50 years old and not a stupid person most of the time(smarter than me, I know couse she tells me). For some reason this kid pulled at her heart strings and she felt bad for him. And to end this the next day the kid had called me, yes i felt bad for him also and gave him my work #, he callled to tell me he had found and contacted his wife. About 30 min later he showed up at my doorstep thanking me for all our help. Everyone has a moment of weakness once and while and this was my wifes and mine. WONT HAPPEN AGAIN

 

[hotrod preacher]

thank goodness it all turned out alright, izzy....

everyone has a moment where their heart goes out to someone, and hopefully it won't end in trouble...

 

[Sam_Fear]

One time we picked up this big guy with a axe and a hockey mask. Seemed like a nice enough guy. Kind of quiet. Later we heard he killed a bunch of teenagers at a old summer camp. Ya just never know...