I was driving home from work yesterday, just like I do every other weekday. 5-7 minutes, depending on the lights. Well, almost like every other weekday – I took a slightly different route because there was an accident around the corner from my office. I entered my neighborhood, turned onto the street that is parallel to mine and headed toward the corner, which when turned is almost right at my driveway. As I drove up the street thinking of all the things I needed to accomplish during the evening, I noticed a lady walking down the middle of the road. She caught my eye mainly because she was walking up the street ON the street rather than on the sidewalk. She was also hopping along with a cane and had a hole in the back of her shirt. I slowed my car down and stayed a respectable distance behind her. She was very close to the intersection and I didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to hurry out of my way. I assumed that she would turn the corner or cross the road at this point but instead she stopped, looked left and right and then back at me. I waved her on and smiled to let her know that I would wait for her. Instead of turning or crossing, she waved me over to her. I pulled up to the corner and put my window down. The rest of the interchange went something like this:
Me: Hi!
Lady: I think I’m lost. Do you know where Seneca Street is?
Me: Oh, sure. It’s a few blocks down from the other end of this street.
Lady: Oh Lordy! My son told me to get off the bus at this stop – can you give me a ride?
Me: Um… ( I never pick up stangers)
Lady: I promise I won’t murder you.
Me: Sure, hop in. (As long as she won’t murder me, why not?)
She starts clambering in, hands me an envelope which she tells me has her ID in it, gets her feet and her cane safely in the car. I hand her envelope back to her. I briefly think about asking her to put her seatbelt on, but decide against it. As we turn the corner and head back around the block her seatbelt warning signal sounds like a bomb is about to detonate, but she doesn’t seem phased. The next 5 minutes go something like this:
Lady: Do you live around here?
Me: Yes, on this street actually.
Lady: Oh, do you know my son Blue? His real name is Henry but everyone calls him Blue.
Me: No I don’t think I know him.
Lady: Hmm… Well, you look familiar.
Me: OK, I think your son’s street is coming up here on the right.
Her: OK, just go slow. I don’t know the number, but I’ll know the house when I see it.
Me: Allright, just let me know.
Lady: Oh help me Jesus, none of these houses look familiar…
Lady: My son and his girlfriend and new baby just moved here and he said I could come visit.
Me: That’s nice. Well, we’re at the end of the street. Anything look familiar?
Lady: No, just let me out here and I’ll ask someone. Everyone knows my son Blue.
I pull the car over. She turns and looks at me very seriously.
Lady: Do you smoke weed?
Me: Uh, no…
Lady: Oh, well my son Blue sells it. God bless!
With that she shut the car door and hobbled off. I pulled away, smiling and shaking my head. I don’t know that I have ever received a weed buying reference and been blessed in the same sentence. I feel like I am supposed to get something from this experience, but maybe it was just an opportunity to give a lady a ride – sort of a cold cup of water on wheels. You just never know what kind on interesting characters God is going to put in your way on any given day…
