I pick up this kid on Thursdays from his AA meetings, or whatever.. he got into a car crash and totaled his car because he was drunk awhile back and he has to go to these classes every Thursday night till 8:30. I leave at 7:45 to get him. He gets free rides usually, unless he gives me a $5 now and then, sometimes a $10. But usually I do it out of the kindness of my heart and because he's got it rough. Divorced and has a kid that they share custody of. He's gotten dicked over a lot, and we've been friends for about two months now. The only thing that bugs me about him is his drinking, when he does drink.
I left at 7:45 as usual, but he's not out at 8:30. I wait. And wait. And wait. Finally at 9:01 he staggers out of the building and he looks fucked up. He gets into my car and he's drunk as fuck and explaining to me how no one understands what he's going through, and that he got sent home from work early yesterday for being drunk. He's really depressed and upset. So as I put my car into Drive, he tells me to make the first left that I possibly can ( which is not our usual route) and I ask why. He doesn't answer right away, but after a minute says that he's left "something he wasn't supposed to have in class in some back alley around there" and that he wants to go get it. So I miss the first left because of traffic and we drive around while he gives me shitty, drunken directions. I am pretty upset at this point because he's not really talking and he's really drunk. So then we get to this one-way off road and he tells me to pull over on the left, so I do. Then he gets out of my car and says, " please wait for me.." and walks off down this alley.
I wait. And Wait.. And wait... It's like 9:20 before I see him come back out of the alley, and he just walks right in front of me with his hands in the air and goes down ANOTHER alley.. I wait, and wait and wait and wait and then at almost 9:45 he comes out of that alley and goes back down the ORIGINAL one he had gone down before. And now I really wait. I don't want to leave because:
1) He said " Please don't leave me."
2) I don't know my way around this area at all.
It's now 10:30 and I am freaking out because I have to get a few hours of sleep before work, and I am illegally parked next to a meter that I have no coins for. I'm just sitting in my car, on a side street, at night. And people keep walking past my car looking in at me. That didn't bother me, but the same cop slowed down and eyed me like three times. At this point I call my room mate and explain why I am not home yet. Usually when I pick up this kid I end up home at 9:30. It's now 10:30. She tells me I should bounce, and that I should call the Non Emergency police because he IS drunk, maybe something bad happened to him. And also so maybe a cop will come give me directions. Most important, she tells me to stay IN my car. I am now getting really worried, and I spend about 5 minutes on the phone with her conveying this. I am really freaked out and I feel bad that I woke her up or kept her up.
At around 11 I am really upset. I keep looking back and forth between the alleys and he is no where to be seen. Then I do what my room mate told me NOT to do.. I get OUT of my car, lock it and walk into the alley a little bit. It's not that dark, and there's actually a building back there. But no Josh. So I go back to my car and call the Non Emergency Police. NOT HELPFUL AT ALL. The lady asked me why I wanted the police. I said because I was lost and my friend was missing. She asked me " Why do you want the police for that?" Then she asked me his name and I only know his first name very well. His last name he never uses, because he swapped it with his mother's maiden name because he hates his father's side. Therefore, I look like an idiot again. She tells me that there is no crime, so there isn't a reason to send anyone down. And that I should probably leave because he can't be "up to any good in those alleys". So then I explain that he has been drinking and it's been almost two hours since he wandered off. She doesn't seem phased.
No help at all.
So now it's almost 11:30 so I give up. I give up... I feel so horrible about this, because I might've abandoned a friend to die... I might have abandoned him in the city and now he's going to be late for work, or dead or hurt or hating me, or drunk and passed out in the street.. or lost.. I cried really bad about this. ( I'm sometimes a real girl, forgive me.) It kept me awake last night for a long while when I need my sleep so badly.
I pulled out, got onto some road and started driving. I tried to pay attention to street signs but I didn't recognize any. So I called information and got someone to give me directions from a Hollywood Video. I got home near 12:10 and went to bed.
Did I do the right thing? I know I did something terrible... I fucked someone over... I am a horrible person... I just couldn't wait any longer. I couldn't.. I have work, and I was tired, and I wasn't supposed to be PARKED there, and he was gone forever and NOT showing up..
He doesn't have a cell phone or anything either.. I left a message at his house explaining why I did what I did.. God.. I left him in the city at night... I am horrible...
This shit is really bothering me. It wasn't the best neighborhood either. Not bad, but not really amazing..
What would you have done if someone kept you waiting in your car at night for two hours when you had work in the morning?
I left at 7:45 as usual, but he's not out at 8:30. I wait. And wait. And wait. Finally at 9:01 he staggers out of the building and he looks fucked up. He gets into my car and he's drunk as fuck and explaining to me how no one understands what he's going through, and that he got sent home from work early yesterday for being drunk. He's really depressed and upset. So as I put my car into Drive, he tells me to make the first left that I possibly can ( which is not our usual route) and I ask why. He doesn't answer right away, but after a minute says that he's left "something he wasn't supposed to have in class in some back alley around there" and that he wants to go get it. So I miss the first left because of traffic and we drive around while he gives me shitty, drunken directions. I am pretty upset at this point because he's not really talking and he's really drunk. So then we get to this one-way off road and he tells me to pull over on the left, so I do. Then he gets out of my car and says, " please wait for me.." and walks off down this alley.
I wait. And Wait.. And wait... It's like 9:20 before I see him come back out of the alley, and he just walks right in front of me with his hands in the air and goes down ANOTHER alley.. I wait, and wait and wait and wait and then at almost 9:45 he comes out of that alley and goes back down the ORIGINAL one he had gone down before. And now I really wait. I don't want to leave because:
1) He said " Please don't leave me."
2) I don't know my way around this area at all.
It's now 10:30 and I am freaking out because I have to get a few hours of sleep before work, and I am illegally parked next to a meter that I have no coins for. I'm just sitting in my car, on a side street, at night. And people keep walking past my car looking in at me. That didn't bother me, but the same cop slowed down and eyed me like three times. At this point I call my room mate and explain why I am not home yet. Usually when I pick up this kid I end up home at 9:30. It's now 10:30. She tells me I should bounce, and that I should call the Non Emergency police because he IS drunk, maybe something bad happened to him. And also so maybe a cop will come give me directions. Most important, she tells me to stay IN my car. I am now getting really worried, and I spend about 5 minutes on the phone with her conveying this. I am really freaked out and I feel bad that I woke her up or kept her up.
At around 11 I am really upset. I keep looking back and forth between the alleys and he is no where to be seen. Then I do what my room mate told me NOT to do.. I get OUT of my car, lock it and walk into the alley a little bit. It's not that dark, and there's actually a building back there. But no Josh. So I go back to my car and call the Non Emergency Police. NOT HELPFUL AT ALL. The lady asked me why I wanted the police. I said because I was lost and my friend was missing. She asked me " Why do you want the police for that?" Then she asked me his name and I only know his first name very well. His last name he never uses, because he swapped it with his mother's maiden name because he hates his father's side. Therefore, I look like an idiot again. She tells me that there is no crime, so there isn't a reason to send anyone down. And that I should probably leave because he can't be "up to any good in those alleys". So then I explain that he has been drinking and it's been almost two hours since he wandered off. She doesn't seem phased.
No help at all.
So now it's almost 11:30 so I give up. I give up... I feel so horrible about this, because I might've abandoned a friend to die... I might have abandoned him in the city and now he's going to be late for work, or dead or hurt or hating me, or drunk and passed out in the street.. or lost.. I cried really bad about this. ( I'm sometimes a real girl, forgive me.) It kept me awake last night for a long while when I need my sleep so badly.
I pulled out, got onto some road and started driving. I tried to pay attention to street signs but I didn't recognize any. So I called information and got someone to give me directions from a Hollywood Video. I got home near 12:10 and went to bed.
Did I do the right thing? I know I did something terrible... I fucked someone over... I am a horrible person... I just couldn't wait any longer. I couldn't.. I have work, and I was tired, and I wasn't supposed to be PARKED there, and he was gone forever and NOT showing up..
He doesn't have a cell phone or anything either.. I left a message at his house explaining why I did what I did.. God.. I left him in the city at night... I am horrible...
This shit is really bothering me. It wasn't the best neighborhood either. Not bad, but not really amazing..
What would you have done if someone kept you waiting in your car at night for two hours when you had work in the morning?
