Let me back up a bit to give you some back ground. I work for a small company. In the building with us is another small company. Between the two small companies, anyone out of place really sticks out. You start to recognize everyone's car, you know if something or someone is out of place.
This started about 3 weeks ago or so before Mike left for China. I went to work on a Thursday morning and there was a car in the parking lot, backed into a space, with a woman in the car. I had never seen that car before but I figured that since she was over by the other company, she must be with one of the guys from the construction company next door.
When I left work that night, her car was there, looking like it was right where it was that morning. In the same spot, parked the same way. I heard the car running, I'm assuming the A/C was on and I saw her moving in the car. I didn't think much more about it.
Then the next day, Friday, I showed up to work and again, she was in the lot, same spot, parked the same way. Now I'm really suspicious, wondering if she ever left. It was a nice day so my office window was open.
About 11:00 in the morning, I hear her trying to start her car but it won't turn over. I know she's just spent two DAYS in our parking lot and she is still there and now her car is out of gas. Who DOES this? What has she done for food, water, a BATHROOM for TWO DAYS???
I heard both of the guys in the office next to mine so I went over and said something to them. Some whackadoodle has been in our parking lot for TWO days.
Sure enough, one of the guys runs right out to her to talk to her. She is out of gas (no kidding. She ran her car out of gas in our parking lot by keeping her car running for the A/C!), she has Colorado plates on her car, all of her belongings are in the back of the car. She is meeting a "friend" but she is out of gas. Well, she was brought into the building to use the bathroom, then taken to Walmart to buy a gas can, then to a gas station to fill up the gas can, she was bought lunch at McDonalds then given cash on top of that. The gas was put in her car, and sure enough, it started right up and she was off.
You have no idea just how "off" she was.
She was back Friday night. She was back intermittantly throughout the next couple of weeks. You can't fake that kind of crazy.
The guys and I have differing opinions on this situation. Mike likens it to me taking in every stray cat. I argued that a stray cat isn't on my porch with a gun or a knife waiting to do me grave bodily harm. I know crazy when I see it and this whackadoodle is all kind of crazy. I may not be able to explain it to the guys, but I feel it in my bones that something is very wrong here.
I voted for calling the Sheriff's office. THEY have the knowledge and the resources to get her into an agency or point her in the direction of finding her way back to Colorado or wherever she is trying to get to. Having this whackadoodle showing up in our parking lot every few days for a hand out isn't helping her. My stray cats don't know any better, but she should. My stray cats aren't packing a gun or a knife. I don't know if this whackadoodle is packing anything dangerous in her worldly belongings in her car.
No one wanted the Sheriff's department involved and I was told that I was totally wrong about all this. I guess I can't call myself a Christian because I sure don't have a Christian attitude where this whackadoodle is concerned. She scares the crap out of me. I'm waiting for the gunshots, for real.
So, round one went to the whackadoodle. Then there is round two. She was back in the parking lot and AGAIN out of gas! This time she left a note on someone's car stating that she needed help. That note wasn't acted upon right away, but the next day, gas was again brought to her and put into her car. Then she was taken to somewhere for a meal and given a list of shelters. That she could call from her charged up iphone. Nice.
Once again, give a man a fish he'll eat for a day instead of teaching him to fish so he can eat for life. I just have a bad feeling about this woman. No one shares my fear of her. Well, one of them does but he tries to hide it.
I think the woman is a wackadoodle and I think she needs help. We're just not the ones equipped to GIVE her the help she needs. And I think it's wrong to assume that we are. Call me a cold heartless bitch, but that's how I feel. What do we do the next time she camps out in our parking lot until she runs out of gas or needs another meal? How long do you treat her like a stray cat that needs fed now and again?
This is what my stray cat Hemingway did to me yesterday. This is what my known stray is capable of . . . what is SHE capable of?
1 comment:
First of all, get well again with your leg, my dear friend! Hugs!
What would I do? Call the police of course and I'm a Christian, too. You tried to help her in a very loving and caring way, but your help didn't show any results apart from letting her know that she can come back to your parking lot as soon as she is run out of money. This lady needs professional help! Maybe she is old and suffers of dementia (sometimes you need not be retired to get dementia, some people get it much earlier), maybe she has other mental problems, but first of all she has financial problems and needs a place to live. I think the police can an will guide her to professionals who know what there has to be done to get the lady's life on track again. So don't wait and call the authorities next time. This lady can't go on this way.
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