So this one time, when I was living up by Blueridge (again, nowheresville, substantial walk to the bus stop) and working at Red Robin (15 minute bus ride OR an hour's walk away), I was waiting for the bus so I could go in and work a Sunday night shift. I liked to catch the bus that came a half hour before my shift, so that I could get to work 15 minutes early, and not have to walk straight up to my three new tables. So I'm waiting, and waiting, and the bus isn't coming, and it's ten minutes late now, now fifteen, now twenty. So I phone in with 5 minutes to spare to let Rich know that my bus didn't come, and I'm going to catch the next one, and I'll be probably twenty minutes late. So I'm waiting, and waiting, and ten minutes go by, and the next bus doesn't come either.
By this time, I'm pacing like mad, because I know that if I walk, I'll be over an hour late and have screwed everyone over, because it's that initial dinner rush where you need all your hands on deck, but if I continue to wait for the bus, I just might not make it into work at all. This guy who has been washing his van in his driveway for the past half hour finally hollers across the street to me, 'You waiting for the bus?' 'Yeah, the last two didn't come, and now I'm late for work.' 'Where you work?' 'Red Robin.' 'You want a ride?'
Now, I've never before accepted a ride from a stranger, and probably never would have, except for the aforementioned dire straits, but I say yes, and he tells his son to get in the van, and the two of them come and snag me and drive me to work. Firstly, I think having his son there convinced me that they weren't going to steal me, because it's hard to conceive of a rapist who'd bring his kid along for the ride. Secondly, I know I said yesterday that if a white guy offered me a ride, I'd say no, but the truth is, who knows what I'd say? I've never gotten the chance, because no white stranger has ever offered me a ride anywhere! Is it because we're too busy? Too weirded out by the idea of someone else in our car? Too sure they'd be suspicious and say no? Too mean and self-centered? I tried a Google search just now to see if people of certain races are more prone to pick up hitchhikers, but I got nothing. So I'll conduct a survey of my own.
How many times have I been given rides to places I need to go by East Indian people?
Handfuls.
How many times have I been given rides to places I need to go by anyone else?
Zeroes.
There you have it, folks. East Indians are more likely to pick up a 5'4" brunette hitchhiker than any other race. Science at its finest.
1 comment:
I will contribut my own two cents. One two occasions in Abbotsford I have had scary experiences with East Indian men. In the first, Tiffany, Barbara and myself were at Funk's foods and were followed around the store by two East Indian men. They followed us out of the store and home to CBC, driving beside us in their car, saying things to us that we did not understand and finally a big mother truck on their ass convinced them to drive away, at which point we ran the rest of the way home and locked ourselves in the dorm.
Case two. I was walking to my brother and sister in laws housw (behind Bakerview church) and had idly wondered what I would do if someone tried to pick me up in their car. Low and behold, as I was walking alongside Bakerview church an East Indian man in his car asked me if I needed a ride. Despite my saying no, he continued to ask and pester me. Finally I turned one way and he turned the other way. I looked behind me and saw him turn into a driveway to turn around and come back at which point I booked it to my brothers house and locked the door.
I don't accept rides from anyone, regardless of race. And I was harassed enough by East Indian men to know that my blonde hair and fair skin were desirable to them. So I was especially leery of them. But that's just me and my experience. I'm glad you've been blessed by their hospitality.
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