to think this is not sinister? (Christians esp)

[Trimthatwicklow]

My children’s school is in the middle of a housing estate and some of the homeowners are a bit funny about the parking. I am always very careful where I park and one day a lady came out of her house to check I wasn’t over hanging her drive (I wasn’t) and we were chatting. I explained the reasons why I drove and why we had changed schools and got talking about the church she goes to. I’m not particularly religious but I do identify as a Catholic and she was telling me about her Baptist tradition. All fine.

We have nodded to each other since, and then she came out again to say she was sorry if I had felt like I had been grilled by her and that she was aware that she had asked me lots of questions and hoped I wasn’t upset! I said it was fine, and I was glad to chat and she mustn’t worry. Off she went.

Then the other day I came out of school after drop off to find a big piece of paper on the windscreen saying

“can you give me a lift to the station please? Rachel, number 41.”

So I thought she must be really desperate so I knocked and she thanked me and grabbed her coat and hopped into my car! So I drove her to the station and she said that she was praying hard for a sign of guidance from God and that she was on her way into work (academic research) and didn’t know what to do so just prayed. And that she wasn’t well enough to walk to the station and saw the car and thought she would ask!

I was quite tickled and was chatting about a book I’m reading where the author, a scientist, firmly believes in fate and always being where you’re meant to be, and therefore I was meant to give her a lift that day. She was rather moved and tearfully thanked me. Then she jumped out at the station and headed off to the university!

She does not know my name. I only know hers because she wrote it on the paper. I was telling my husband and he saw things completely differently and said I should be careful and she sounds like a chancer. I think it’s unlikely that an elderly academic who seems a bit dotty, is in any way sinister!

Mumsnet jury, what do you think?

But ask yourself would you leave a note like that on the car of a person you had chatted to twice? Asking for a favour which involved them going out their way?

It's because God inspired her to do it. Rachel to ask, I mean, not to OP to comply. Maybe God could suggest a taxi to the station next time.

Well, I spoke to another mum from school tonight who is a neighbour and we are both of the opinion that she’s very sweet and that there may be some social communication issues. That’s fine though, and I don’t think she’s the type to try it on, she just kind of connected over the (perceived) shared religion, and that’s fine too.

I’m quite touched that she has me pegged as friendly and non hazardous!

Not really relevant but why is it so nice to see kindness/friendship between a Baptist and RC? Their main tenets of faith are fairly similar?

RC believe in many doctrines that are not accepted by other mainstream Christian branches e.g., purgatory, transubstatiation, immaculate conception of Mary. Each one of those is contradicted by the bible. Also RC hold that their holy scripture contains extra books such as the Apochrypha and Prayers of Manassah which aren't in the bible.

For what it's worth, I think it's quite sweet that she felt she could ask for a favour and you were very kind to help her out. A friendship could develop from this. I wouldn't read too much into it.

Umm...i think most Christians believe in immaculate conception if Christ. Its pretty integral to the whole Christian thing lol xD

Not the immaculate conception of Christ. The immaculate conception of Mary. www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/immaculateconception.shtml

Ahh gotcha.

Warp, for Catholics, the Bible isn’t the sole source of religious authority, and it’s simply nowhere near as central in the average Catholic’s life as it is to a Protestant of virtually any stripe. (Catholic biblical literalism is almost non-existent, for instance — no Catholic thinks God made the world in six days.) However, to the best of my belief, Catholics and Baptists are not punching one another’s lights out in the street about it.

She sounds like a chancer.

Nothing to do with fate or god.

Parthenope, spot on!

I don’t think it’s sinister. I’m a Christian so I would probably think I was an answer to prayer

But obviously different if it happens again or she is unable to take no for an answer.

I don’t see the problem really. She was a bit cheeky but you were willing so no harm.

Im very firmly of the belief that the vast vast vast majority of people are not bad, and will help if they can. I am very rarely disappointed. And if someone is desperate enough to ask a stranger for help then it’s my gift and pleasure to step up.

I also don’t mind asking for help when I need it. My kids are all VERY close in age and I regularly ran out of arms sometimes, when they all needed feeding or changing or were wailing at the same time. I always found that if asked to hold a baby for a second whilst I saw to another one, was accepted with enthusiasm. I couldn’t get my big pram into the toilets of my local department store and a couple of granny types appeared magically, and they minded my twins while I changed my other one. I came out of the toilets to find them sitting on their knees, bashing the till buttons! They asked me to come back at the same time the following week so they could have another cuddle! So I’m a trusting sort and maybe my Rachel got the same impression.

Trim, were you not tempted to update saying that Rachel had tricked you into an intense kerbside conversation about the Apocrypha and that you then rolled around on the road pulling one another’s hair about the Assumption?

Normal human woman

You sound lovely and although sometimes we can be disappointed I think it’s nice to go around thinking the best of people. The kindness of strangers can mean a lot. The other week my toddler fell and bumped her head on the pavement, someone immediately stopped, then dashed in to the local Costas to greet ice, waited with me to check dd was alright and then gave her a small packet of raisins. I can tell you it made me feel quite emotional that someone had stopped for us. You have probably made that lady’s day, by helping out and confirmed her faith in the process!

Parthenope I was briefly tempted to update saying I was locked in her shed and she was shouting “renounce the rosary” through the windows!

However I don’t think she has a shed.

Well, we wouldn’t have known about the shed.

Parthenope, yes I agree with you.

I don't think it's sinister but be wary of becoming the lovely lady of the lifts.

Don't understand the 'fate' aspect. If you had bumped into her in a different town, she'd just missed her train home and you were able to give her a lift, that would fit my understanding of 'fate's better.

That said, it's a lovely way of turning down requests for things I don't want to do. 'I don't think it's meant to be'... said with an enigmatic yet strangely beautific smile...