There are times when one knows one is just in the right place at the right time. I had one of those experiences over the weekend, and I would like to share it.
Saturday night I got to spend time with a lot of people I was looking forward to seeing for some time. I went to the Saint Paul Seminary with Scott to meet up with some of my old high school friends. We had a great time talking and catching up on each others' lives. Once we left there we were able to visit Ellie at her house at St. Thomas, since it was practically right across the street from the seminary. After a 45 minute visit with her, I was about to drop off Scott at his car when I noticed that I had no gas in my own. Since it was so late, Scott agreed to come to the gas station up the road with me.
I pulled up to the pump and began to get the gas going. Moments after I started, a car came pulling up wildly to the pump next to mine. I leaned over to Scott and noted how bizarre the man in the car looked and was acting, but sort of stopped taking note of it. I finished up at the pump, and as I opened the car door I noticed the woman in the crazy car did as well as she yelled out, "hey, lady, are you going to University Ave?" I, shocked that she was addressing me, replied, "No, sorry, I'm not going in that direction..." She tried again: "Can I get a ride? This guy is crazy!" When I responded negatively one more time, I got back into the car. Scott asked what happened and I related the conversation. He then told me that he thought we should give her a ride because she could be in trouble. I looked into the gas station; the crazy driver was at the counter paying. I quickly opened my door and said "hey, come on, you can get a ride!" and in a flash she was in the car and we were out of the gas station. Though the driver ran out to his car, he was never able to catch up with us.
In the drive to drop her off at her boyfriend's house, she told us about who the man was and a little bit about her life. The reason why she asked me for the ride is because she saw another woman (she looked all around the gas station specifically for a female), because a woman she can trust. She had been out at a friend's birthday party and needed a ride home. Her mom's ex-boyfriend (a meth head from what we gathered) picked her up, and once he got her in the car, he started to touch her, which is why she wanted out so bad. She is turning 22 next week and has a 5-year-old daughter. Her boyfriend is an alcoholic and beats her up, but he is trying to amend his life and go to AA meetings. She's a hairdresser, but is having a difficult time finding steady work. All of this came out in our 20 minute conversation to her house, except her name.
When we dropped her off, she asked us to come to the door with her. This was probably the scariest part of the whole situation, as it was in a very impoverished neighborhood in North Saint Paul and she already told us what her boyfriend could be like. We waited at the door, had a quick word with the boyfriend to tell him it was cool, got a hug from her, a handshake from him, and we were on our way.
The thing that struck me the most in this situation is the extreme blessings I have been given in my own life. My house looked like a mansion when I got home. My boyfriend looked like the perfect man. My family looked like the perfect family.
Through this event that there are so many people suffering quietly around me, and most of the time I am willing to turn a blind eye to them before I even know what is going on. It was an eye opening experience to see a woman, just about my age, with a like so completely different than mine in so many ways. My heart is warmed when I think that Scott pushed me a little bit, though it was outside of my comfort zone, to help this woman. I can't imagine a better example of being in the right place at the right time.
3 comments:
This is Scott, her boyfriend, and this story, though unbelievable, is true. I kinda had a feeling that woman needed help. It was intuition, I think. I can't explain it, but when she leaned out of the car and said something to Sarah, I already knew what she asked. I was still caught off guard, however, when she yelled at us to GO GO GO the instant she got in the car and the crazy guy came running out of the convenience mart. I remember he had straight, shoulder length hair, a stocking cap, matted beard, and a bumper sticker that said Proud to be Irish. From what I gathered from the woman, the guy may even have been high on meth at the time. I'm just glad we didn't get shot and that he chose to run back to his own car instead of ripping Sarah's car door open.
The neighborhood was super sketchy and dark. When the woman got out of the car, she told me she had two black eyes. I saw them in the porch light. That was pretty much when I realized, oh crap, this boyfriend might be dangerous, what are we doing?? That, and the fact that the woman didn't want to go to the door alone should have scared us away. Yet I guess in those crisis situations, you just do what God tells you and trust. You don't consider the potential dangers until afterward. I just wish there was more we could have done for the girl...
Wow, that's quite a Saturday night.
I think you did the right thing, it must have been a really tough decision. I don't know, maybe this is sexist of me, but I probably wouldn't have done it if I hadn't had a guy with me in the car, if I had been alone. But given that you two had each other, it was a little safer. You never know that the person standing next to you is going through....
I don't think it's sexist at all Clare, it's exactly the way I feel too. As sad and stupid as it might be, women have to be aware of protecting themselves in compromising situations. This woman was actually a perfect example of that. Once Scott said we should help her, I didn't even question him and just acted. Like Scott, looking back, it might not have been the safest idea, but I certainly am glad we could help that woman get out of a bad situation, if only for the few moments between her mom's ex and her boyfriend...
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