'What was I thinking? ' moments

DanielGault · 2024-04-14T00:58:48+00:00

I'm sitting here watching murder programmes and the one I'm watching involves a young woman getting into a strangers car for a lift in the states. Rural. He murdered her. It reminded me that I did the exact same in France in the early 2000s. I completely made myself a sitting duck. He drove me through the back arse of nowhere. Luckily he was just a nice bloke, but wtf was I thinking? Anyone else have similar?

FlowersInAFlowerBed · 14/04/2024 02:08

Yep I was thinking about this last night actually, waiting at a bus stop, late teens/ early 20s guy pulls up in a car offers to drop me home this was the middle of the night so was waiting for a night bus (London) and it was a long wait so I agreed and got in, we drove towards my area but then he said he was picking something up so would do that first. He got out of the car then started driving back the way we came, I was too scared to say anything and he basically drove to his flat and told me to come inside. I ran away so fast! Couldn't believe how stupid I had been.

Original poster

DanielGault · 14/04/2024 02:18

FlowersInAFlowerBed · 14/04/2024 02:08

Yep I was thinking about this last night actually, waiting at a bus stop, late teens/ early 20s guy pulls up in a car offers to drop me home this was the middle of the night so was waiting for a night bus (London) and it was a long wait so I agreed and got in, we drove towards my area but then he said he was picking something up so would do that first. He got out of the car then started driving back the way we came, I was too scared to say anything and he basically drove to his flat and told me to come inside. I ran away so fast! Couldn't believe how stupid I had been.

It's amazing the way we can do such random things isn't it? Granted, it was a long time ago, but still, I can't believe I had so little sense.

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Ihateslugs · 14/04/2024 03:56

I used to hitch hike from university in Sheffield to see my friend in Hull in the 1970s - at the time when The Yorkshire Ripper was in the news! I was totally stupid

DifficultBloodyWoman · 14/04/2024 04:05

Yes. A bloke at the airport (in a third world country, not known for its respect for women’s rights) offered to drive me home as an unofficial taxi as the taxi queue was so long.

WTF was I thinking???

Turns out, he was a lovely bloke and we had a nice chat but it could have so easily gone the other way.

Ruthietuthie · 14/04/2024 04:17

There are some people who steal parcels from the door-steps in our neighborhood. I was expecting a parcel (an expensive pair of boots, that I 95% intended to return if they weren't absolutely perfect, as they were too much money). I pulled up at my door to see a woman leaving my garden, with a parcel! Rage fueled, I leapt from the car and chased her down. I yelled at her to stop, she turned, to reveal a large knife in her hand. Large, probably a 10 inch blade.
I was still so determined to get my parcel back, soI told her that was my parcel, I was having it, and grabbed it from her hands. We wrestled a little, I got my parcel, turned and marched home. As we were fighting, all I could think of was hours on the phone trying to sort out a missing parcel that was delivered but then taken.
Actually, she was more scared of me than I was of her (I was furious) but it could have been much worse. What was I thinking? And why wrestle her even after she had shown me the knife! I can't explain it other than that rage flowed through my veins when I thought of how inconvenient it was that this woman had my new boots.

Crushed23 · 14/04/2024 04:51

I hitch-hiked countless times while backpacking in my 20s.

Would never do it now.

AlpacalypseLlamaggedon · 14/04/2024 04:57

I remember me and my mate at the age of about 15 being picked up by older Lads who drove us to remote woods.

We were also lucky that we walked around for a bit then they drove us home. Chills my blood to think of my DD who is now a similar age doing the same.

Giggorata · 14/04/2024 05:18

Yes, all that hitchhiking and going happily off to squats, flats, festivals and so on, with people I didn't know.
Like all young people, I felt immortal.

Original poster

DanielGault · 14/04/2024 05:58

Ihateslugs · 14/04/2024 03:56

I used to hitch hike from university in Sheffield to see my friend in Hull in the 1970s - at the time when The Yorkshire Ripper was in the news! I was totally stupid

God! I remember my (innocent) chap having a load of stuff in the back of the car, rope etc. it really makes you think.

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valensiwalensi · 14/04/2024 06:45

Missed the last train so sister and I sat on a park bench when a guy walked past and asked if he wanted to sit in his flat across the street so we did! Luckily he was just concerned and was fine but BLOODY HELL what an idiot I was at 21.

A few months back a fight broke out between about 5 men on the train. I was so overcome with rage at what they were doing (they were stamping on a bloke who had fallen) that I stormed over screaming at them - that’s when one of them pulled out a huge fucking knife.
i backed off and hit the driver alarm and it was dealt with at the next station but I cried my eyes out for an hour at how stupid I had been - DH and I always talk about what would we do if we witnessed something like this and always agreed it wasn’t worth losing our lives over but in the moment I couldn’t just be a bystander.

Original poster

DanielGault · 14/04/2024 06:48

valensiwalensi · 14/04/2024 06:45

Missed the last train so sister and I sat on a park bench when a guy walked past and asked if he wanted to sit in his flat across the street so we did! Luckily he was just concerned and was fine but BLOODY HELL what an idiot I was at 21.

A few months back a fight broke out between about 5 men on the train. I was so overcome with rage at what they were doing (they were stamping on a bloke who had fallen) that I stormed over screaming at them - that’s when one of them pulled out a huge fucking knife.
i backed off and hit the driver alarm and it was dealt with at the next station but I cried my eyes out for an hour at how stupid I had been - DH and I always talk about what would we do if we witnessed something like this and always agreed it wasn’t worth losing our lives over but in the moment I couldn’t just be a bystander.

Tbf that was a brain hard wiring taking over. Fair play to you. Glad they didn't have a knife though.

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imforeverblowingbuttons · 14/04/2024 08:38

Yes in turkey 😮 me and 17 year old friend (this was 30 years ago) thought it would be fun to go to two Turkish guys house in the middle of no where to 'party' ended up making a run for it after one tried to rape my friend and by some miracle found a bus stop to get back into town.

A year later with another friend I drank too much and collapsed in a club in Spain. A random bloke at least ten years older than us picked unconscious me up and carried me to his hotel nearby (with his two mates and my mate following) luckily they were lovely he took care of me all night and we spent a lot of time with them that week and met a few times once back in the uk.

Echobelly · 14/04/2024 08:54

Not me, but my mum has said she was very lucky after some dumb decisions as a teenager in a small town in Slovakia. Aged about 16 she went to a dance at an army base, hitchiked in the early hours blind drunk and was picked up by a van of young male farm workers.... who luckily treated her very respectfully and dropped her home.

Original poster

DanielGault · 14/04/2024 09:03

It's nice to hear about the respectful people!

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AhBiscuits · 14/04/2024 09:05

I always think about the story of Mary McGriff. It's enough to male any woman never consider hitchhiking.

QueenOfDuisburg · 14/04/2024 09:16

Yes. In my early 20s I started chatting to a man on an online forum. We really clicked but for some reason decided it was fun to keep an air of mystery and not tell each other our real names or share pictures of ourselves, so we never did. Weeks later we decided to meet up - he came all the way from London to my flat up north for a night out and to stay over. Still didn't know his name, and I never told a soul what I was doing as I knew it was odd. He turned up, no spark in real life at all, but luckily he was a really decent guy and we just had a few drinks and he slept on the sofa and went home the next day.

Look back and can't believe how stupid that all was!

Original poster

DanielGault · 14/04/2024 09:37

AhBiscuits · 14/04/2024 09:05

I always think about the story of Mary McGriff. It's enough to male any woman never consider hitchhiking.

I didn't even think of my situation as hitchhiking. I was just totally in the moment, and then I was in the middle of nowhere with a random man. It was terrible decision making. Thank god he was a decent guy.

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valensiwalensi · 14/04/2024 10:01

QueenOfDuisburg · 14/04/2024 09:16

Yes. In my early 20s I started chatting to a man on an online forum. We really clicked but for some reason decided it was fun to keep an air of mystery and not tell each other our real names or share pictures of ourselves, so we never did. Weeks later we decided to meet up - he came all the way from London to my flat up north for a night out and to stay over. Still didn't know his name, and I never told a soul what I was doing as I knew it was odd. He turned up, no spark in real life at all, but luckily he was a really decent guy and we just had a few drinks and he slept on the sofa and went home the next day.

Look back and can't believe how stupid that all was!

I did the same! Probably about 2000 so not much around with respect to internet safety. Met a guy on a forum and he came down to meet me - he was easily 20 years older than he said he was. I was 18. I went back to his travel lodge and luckily he just wanted to go for dinner and halfway through the meal I went to the loo and did a runner.