Let me tell you a story. This story involves one of the
scariest things that ever happened to me. No, it doesn’t involve ghosts,
robbers, or things that go bump in the night. It involves something even
scarier, a stranger in the dark. As you may know, I used to be a test driver
for General Motors. One night, I was driving a SAAB (a type of Swedish car)
along with about five other drivers. We had all driven our cars, convoy style,
from the proving grounds in east Mesa, Arizona, to a mountain side pullout
outside of Globe, Arizona. I was working third shift at the time, which meant I
got to work at 11:30 PM, and didn’t go home until 8:00 AM. The incident I’m
going to tell you about happened about 3:00 AM, give or take an hour.
So the six of us did our route over the mountain road (called
a schedule by General Motors’s engineers), and at the end of the schedule, we
were asked to record our odometer, time, and readings from some of the
instruments so the engineers could look at the data later in the week when they
inspected the car. I was the last car in line as we finished the last schedule
of the night, and I pulled up next to my colleagues, and began taking my
readings. Out of the corner of my eye, I
could see the other cars, which had finished before me, start to take off back
to a spot we had all agreed on for lunch that night. I busied myself with the readings I was
taking, and when I got about halfway done the last car left. So it was just me
and my SAAB, at about 3 AM, on this mountainside pullout. I had done this kind
of thing about 40 times before, so I wasn’t scared, wasn’t worried about
anything besides what I was going to have for lunch, and how great that burger
was going to taste as soon as I got into town…
That’s when I heard the knock on my window. I literally
jumped in my seat. I took a second to look around, but because I had the
interior lights on in the car, I couldn’t make out much. Then the knock
happened again, and I could see that it was coming from my left. Looking out the driver’s side window, I could
see a man standing next to my car. I hadn’t seen him walk up because I had been so busy recording my
readings. He knocked again, and getting my composure, I rolled my driver’s side
window down about an inch. I asked him what’s up, doing my best not to let on
how spooked I was (I was literally shaking a bit still).
“What time do we start?” He said
“What?” I returned
“What time do we start?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked him, too spooked to comprehend what he was asking.
“What time does work start? You’re part of the crew, aren’t
you?” He said
“Uhhhh…no. I drive for GM. I am just here to record some
numbers, then I head back into Globe” I said
“ So you’re not part of the work crew?” He continued.
Remember, he knocked on the window of a small
European sedan, not a work truck.
“No” was all I said
“Oh” he said, and melted back into the darkness.
I remember looking in my rear view mirror after he left my window, and watched him walk
behind my car, and deeper into the dark. I don’t think I have to tell you that as soon as I saw him go, I slammed that car into drive and got out of there so quick I’m sure I sprayed
that guy with at least some rocks. To this day I don’t know what he was on
about. There was no construction equipment evident anywhere on the pullout, and
what’s more, I didn’t see any other cars besides the GM cars on the pullout
that night. (I made an arc when I came into the pullout so that I would be able
to take off down the road without having to back out. Because of that arc, my headlights showed me
the entire pullout. There were no other cars there). Looking back on it, it is
still a bit spooky, because no work was going on there. Why did he wait until
it was just me to go ahead and ask? Why would a guy ask someone who wasn’t in a
work truck or who obviously wasn't parking there when they started? As the years have gone on, I am more and more
convinced it was something nefarious. That is why I’m so glad I handled that
night the right way. Here is what you do if someone approaches your car at
night.
1. First off, do not roll your window down any more than an
inch or a half inch to talk to them. An inch gives you enough room to be able
to carry on a conversation with anyone outside, but still keeps you safe
because they can’t get in. Don’t worry about being rude. If you don’t know
someone, treat them as a threat until they show you otherwise. Do not under any
circumstance roll your window down all the way to talk to a stranger. Also,
it’s going to be normal to be a bit shocked if your experience is anything like
mine. Take a minute to compose yourself before answering. I can tell you
without feeling the slightest bit of shame that I was still shaken up a half
hour after meeting the guy on the pullout. There is no shame in fear; it’s
there to help keep you out of bad situations. And if they person you are talking
to is belligerent, don’t be afraid to get out of there if you feel you should.
2. Next, don’t be afraid to be rude. If you get a weird
feeling from someone you’re talking to in the middle of the night (or even the
daytime) that feeling is being given to you for a reason. Listen to it. If the
person asks for a ride, if the person tells you that they are starving. If the
person says their dog Minnie needs Milk Bones, don’t listen to them if you are
getting the feeling they aren’t honest. Your first job is to protect you. You
owe the person outside nothing.
Another important point concerns women that one might see. If
a woman knocks on your window, whether day or night, you might think that she
is harmless and it’s your job to help her, but listen to your senses. There are
groups that go around with attractive women and have them play at being hurt or
scared or something so that you will lower your guard and let her in. As soon
as you do so, her accomplices will appear ready to attack and rob, or worse. So
don’t let your guard down. Of course, I am not saying this is all women, or even most women. All I'm saying is to be on guard if a stranger approaches: something you should be doing no matter what the gender of the stranger is.
3. Lastly, you don’t owe anyone anything. If you don’t want to
give someone a ride, don’t do it. If you think it’s risky, then it is and don’t
do it. You can still do the honorable thing and ask the person to give you
their name and where they broke down, record it on your phone, and then drive
off down the road, and when safe, call the Police and report the person so they
can get help. Another thing to note is
that if you yourself are broken down in
the middle of nowhere and a stranger stops to help, don’t be afraid to just
pass them a slip of paper through your slightly rolled down window and ask them
to call police. Don’t assume everyone is out to help you. Many people aren’t,
and that is even more true when it is just you and one other person in the
middle of nowhere or the dead of night. Law goes out the window at that point
for many people, and people do what they want because they figure if there is
no one to see, they can’t get in trouble. Believe this, it happens more than
you think.
It’s been almost twenty years now since that happened, and
I’m not going to lie, thinking about that still shakes me up a bit because it
was so frightening. I honestly can’t say why I didn’t roll my window down all
the way or get out of my car that night (normally when I stopped to take
readings, I would step out of the car to stretch my legs or relieve myself
after I was done. I didn’t do it this night, and I strongly think I have God to
thank for keeping me safe and in the car.) What I do know is that I had a
sketchy stranger approach my car, and I dealt with it well and kept myself
safe. If the same thing happens to you, remember what you read here, especially
the part about not lowering your window more than an inch and not feeling
obliged to pick up a stranger. The most important thing is that you keep
yourself safe. You can always call for help for someone from a safe place after
you get their information. That is the best of both worlds if you meet someone
who claims to need help. As always though, stay vigilant and be focused and aware
of all things around you. Until next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment