to offer this stranger a lift....?

KazBarTFG · 2011-02-23T23:11:07+00:00

At the petrol station yesterday some guy filled up his tank and when he went to pay realised he'd forgotten his wallet. Manager none too pleased and asked guy to leave his keys and go get his wallet, guy said no as workplace too far away... After paying for my fuel I watched the exchange between the two men from the forecourt [nosey emoticon] and the guy finally came back out to his car... I approached him and said that I'd take him to his place of work to get his wallet and bring him back, he thanked me, declined and advised that manager had agreed to take his tax disc instead. (FWIW, he seemed pleased and shocked at the same time at my generosity, but I could have misread that) So that was that... Was I BU to offer this guy a lift? Was I being intrusive and should've minded my own business Was I being a nice citizen and those like me put your hands up or Just plain weird.... DH went nuts of course, said I was stupid etc, I still think if someone is having a hard time stranger or not, if I can help then I should....no?

9 replies

KazBarTFG · 23/02/2011 23:11

OP posts:

icandoit · 23/02/2011 23:19

If I had been on my own ie no children with me, then I may have done the same as you. I tend to do things like this and then later think hmmm, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. However, nothing untoward has happened to me yet and I do believe what goes around comes around. So, no I do not think you were being unreasonable - just a 'good' citizen!

RealEyesRealiseRealLies · 23/02/2011 23:22

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RevoltingPeasant · 23/02/2011 23:23

YANBU.

If he had asked you for a lift or shown signs of hinting, it might've been different; I would've suspected a set-up then. But given that you approached him out of the blue, I think it was fine.

And you are very nice :)

And also good for you for not automatically treating a strange man like a probable paedo/ rapist/ weirdo.

suzikettles · 23/02/2011 23:28

Actually, I live across the road from the petrol station we use. Having said that, the guy serving was very sniffy when I told him I'd forgotten my purse and would have to park up and run home for it (literally 5 mins tops).

I suspect he caught a look at the car and realised it was probably worth less than the fuel inside it.

OP, I'd have done the same, or at least thought about doing the same, then not done it, then felt guilty about it.

backwardpossom · 23/02/2011 23:34

I hope the guy didn't drive his car without a tax disc... There's a form you fill in I think. I think the petrol station were being VU, but you sound lovely :)

igetmorelovefromthecat · 23/02/2011 23:35

I think it was a nice gesture. I think only you can say if YABU as you saw the bloke and could use your instincts on how dodgy he looked, obviously this is not fool-proof but instincts are important.

Pre DC I was a bugger for picking hitch hikers up. Sometimes I used to actually turn round and go back for them if I was going too fast and missed them. Never had any dodgy times and met some really interesting people. Now I am older and wiser I am not sure I would do the same but I am still here to tell the tale.

chillichill · 23/02/2011 23:39

I met a guy at a petrol station while driving from home to uni (in the states). gave him a lift about 3 hours from where I picked him up. we got very friendly along the way, if you know what I mean. we pulled over, got to know eachother better, got back on the road, I dropped him off and never saw him again. I was 20, it was stupid but damn it was one of the most exciting and wild things is ever done. never given a stranger a lift since, specially as I'm married now.

Original poster

KazBarTFG · 24/02/2011 13:20

Aw, thansk for the nice comments - I believe I did the right thing even if DH doesn't.

chillichill - what a great story, Do you ever wonder what could've been?

OP posts:

chillichill · 24/02/2011 15:36

yeah, its my wild 20's story. he was dead sexy, piercings and tattoos, but not boyfriend material.

Flip