Street Ho Hustle
Imamutt
Got chatted up while pumping gas. She had a good line and her hustle was really convincing, hell it might have even been true. Her pitch came from every angle and addressed all kinds of humanity. She sang, she prayed, she pleaded and begged. I usually don't do handouts, but she was really working it, so I gave her 20- and wished her luck, then she got into her Mercedes and drove off.
16 comments
SJG
I remember when I was new in this country, I use to give money to the homeless until I saw one with a cellphone, and I thought, damn I can't even afford a cellphone right now and this mofucker has one.
Since that day I stopped helping people.
I had a similar one about a year ago. It was after 10 PM and I was in a bank parking lot waiting for security. I had seen this looker, at least from a distance, ask other passing through the drive up ATM line. After a few times, I also noticed (I observe well) that when the bank customer counted their money, she would only approach those that had spent a bit more time counting.
After I had been there about 1/2 an hour, she approached my vehicle. I always keep it running while waiting. Anyway, after what I had seen, I didn't trust the situation, but she looked real nice up close, so I decided to indulge her. Her story was that her car was broken down in the parking garage and she needed a ride "home", a couple of miles. Then I thought, why would she approach me? I had driven through the drive up, but didn't use the ATM. I also know that bad guys can be smart and they would need a very attractive woman to pull off this scheme. It HAS happened before. Of course I declined and told her I was waiting for security. Somehow, she decide to leave and walk home, I guess.
There are so many schemes out there!
I was at the Sunoco gas station near my local Microcenter. My wife was in the car I was out pumping gas. Out of the corner of my eye I see a young woman come around the gas pump on the other side of the barricade/pylon. She was young, pale white, average height, slim, dirty blonde hair that was wavy and damaged from perms. She had her hands pulled back into her sleeves. She wore short, rough denim shorts.
She tried to speak but at first I didn't understand her since I wasn't really paying attention to her. She spoke softly and trembled a lot. She spoke softly again. I responded, "what?" By now she was trembling ever more and walked erratically towards me. "I r-r-ran out of gas. I don't have any money. C-c-can you h-h-help me?" Now she was stepping towards me, then way, back and forth. Something inside me said 'something is wrong here.' "No one will even talk to me and I don't understand why?" Internally I figure this is 80% scam and maybe 20% chance it's legit.
She looks over at a burgundy red, old, sun faded '90s chevy S-10 Blazer SUV parked at a gas pump on the other side of the gas station. Inside is a young man about the same age as her (late teens, early twenties). Dude is looking at me but looks away. Immediately I know what's up. They went out, didn't check the gas gauge and ran out of gas, have no money, and can't get home. The *this sackless, spineless piece of ..* man instead of sacking up and beg himself, no, this coward sends out his girlfriend or wife probably figuring that strangers would be more likely help out (1) a lone, stranded woman than help out (2) a couple or (3) a dude who should have planed ahead. Standards for this are different for able-bodied men than women, sorry. Clearly the woman is scared out of her mind. I'm livid that the guy did this to his girl.
Back to her last question: "No one will even talk to me and I don't understand why?" I decide to give her an education, so I answer her, truthfully and ruthlessly. "Honey, they're probably trying to figure out if you're a hooker or a drug addict." She's learned her lesson. I take her inside with the attendant. We stand in line behind 2 customers while she endures the most uncomfortable 2 minutes of her life. I prepay 2 gallons of gas for her. She says, "T-t-that's it??!?"
I make eye contact, lean towards her, then crack a wry, half smile, "that's all you get sweetheart. Head straight home."
I get back into the car and tell the wife what happened. She can't stop ROTFLing. I deliberately drive by the young couple and she points and they both glare angrily at me. Lol!
Education: see, the better it is . . . the more it costs. And today she paid, dearly. ;)