Good Samaritan versus Idiot (7.13.05)

Yesterday I went running in the park...was minding my own business on my way back home when I was confronted by a man. He was very nonthreatening, but still a stranger...and he told me this long story about having run out of gas, having been robbed, not being a Chatham County resident (lives in Pooler...about 20 minutes away) which means that the local authorities wouldn't help him. I still don't know what was true and what was made up about his tale, but I just am not the kind of person that can walk away from that.

I told him that I didn't have anything on me (obviously...I was running, for God's sake), and he asked if he could just walk with me to my house and maybe I could just give him a cup of water and $5. I know...and if anyone else told me this, I would have told them they were crazy. But this guy was shorter than I was, very obviously gay (and he even told me), not armed in any form or fashion...so I complied.

When I got home, he stayed outside, and I went in and told Lee the situation. He was (as expected) not pleased that I had brought some strange man to our doorstep. I felt like a kid in need of a spanking. I told Lee that there was a man outside who just needed $5 and a cup of water...Lee looked at me like my IQ was about 23 and waited while I put some ice and water in a plastic cup. He went outside to talk to the man (Alex was his name).

He was out there for a good 10 minutes - while I was, of course, peeking through the blinds. When Lee finally came back in, he said, "Ok, I'm taking this guy to his car...you're right, he doesn't mean any harm..." Lee took Alex to where his car was, and it was gone. ??? Now, who knows if he actually ever even had a car there or what the story was, but then Lee took him to one of his friend's houses who had earlier been at work. She was home at this point and agreed to take him back to Pooler.

After about an hour of dealing with Alex, Lee and I were back home, in our kitchen, making dinner. Such a strange afternoon...and we will probably never know if we were actually good samaritans or if we just helped a bum get another 40 oz. of malt liquor. But I hate to think of a world where someone can't get help from people if they really need it. Alex, if you're reading this, you owe us...HUGE.