One
So last night at 00:30 the doorbell goes.
Its a teenage girl, slightly tipsy who has been dropped by a taxi driver in the village having been asked to be taken to a friends house. Despite telling the taxi driver she was not at the right place he had refused to take her anywhere else. ( What responsible adult leaves 15 year old girl alone at past midnigjht?)
We have had trouble in the village with Travellers getting kids to knock on the door and cause trying to cause a dstraction to get into your house/garage etc. So we are a little wary.
On questioning her further, she does not have any money or mobile phone. She does not know the correct address of her friends house. I ask her the street thinking I could walk her there. She tells me that it begins with "B" an is a Lane. We offer both lanes in the village beginning with "B" but its not either of them.
She does not know the mobile or the house number for either of her parents personal mobiles or houses !!!!! They are on her Phone which is in her friends jacket.
She gives her mothers address but obviously does not want to go back there, and admits she does not have a key to the door!! She again asks for us to call a taxi and give her the money - which I am reluctant to do, as the last one did her no favours. ( all this time due to traveller issues she is stood on our drive.)
We ask her her name its ****** Smith and shows me a debit card to prove it. She then admits she is only 15 !!!! (Debit card will only work if money in account for minors). She then says could we pay for a cab to her Dads in the next village (4 miles?) She says that he has a key under the pot out the front. I ask her why we cannot call a cab for her and her Dad can pay on arrival. She says he will probably not have any money to pay him and I am still appalled at the first cab driver.
We call the general Police number and explain the situation and they are concerned she is a runaway, but have none reported. Police desk is unsure of what to do. It is now 01:30, I am increasingly concerned that a skimpily dressed 15 year old is stood out in the cold and dark with no where to go. I say to Policeman , What if I give her a lift to her Dads is that mad??? He says ok I will give you a crime number to record what you are doing to cover you. Please make sure she goes into the house , DO NOT leave her outside.
So I take her to the address. she obviously knows where she is going and directs me, finds key and goes in. - Job Done
Back home to go to bed, late night not a huge issue to me as I start nights tonight, but Mrs Orcs has 4 hour drive to North Wales tomorrow.
Two
08:30 house phone goes, unusual. but I expect its Mrs Orcs Colleague who is going up to the meeting with her and is trying to locate our house - I wish It had been
Its my natural sister very tearful and upset calling to say she had returned home yesterday evening to find her husband of nearly 30 years dead on the floor! She is only mid 50's and he was few years older, What do you say in these situations? Somehow I managed to come out with some coherent replies and offer any help or support she needs , I consider driving to her (4 hours) but she assures me she has lots of friends with her. I tell her to call anytime especially if she needs some one to talk to during the night as I will be working. Hang up feeling rather stunned.
Three
Mrs Orcs leaves on 4 hour journey. Two hours later she calls me from the side of the M42 having had a puncture in the outside lane on the 5 lane section of the motorway. Despite hazard warning lights on and a smoking tyre, lorry drivers did not allow her across the lanes. She eventually made it to the hard shoulder safely and called the recovery people who duly arrived after an hour and loaded the car on the back ( No spare only stupid spray foam )
She asks them to take her to a Tyre fitters, driver explains they are not allowed to chose the tyre fitters themselves , but will take her to one she gives them. Why the recovery company could not have told her that she needed to find her own tyre fitters at some point in any of the 4 calls they had made to her in the hour she was waiting I don't know.
She calls me and I find a Tyre fitter on the internet near to where she is. I cannot remember how worn the other tyres are and Mrs Orcs is now on the truck with the car on the back, so I cannot be sure I can get away with changing the single tyre that blew. Tyres last me about a year and these have been on 9 months so I guess that changing a single tyre on the back is not a good idea.
I speak to the tyre fitter who only has two of the size required in stock anyway, but agrees to put them to one side. Realising they have a fair way to go the Tyre fitter makes them a priority and gets the tyres changed immediately, Bang goes £200. Then off to arrive late for her meeting, but safe.
Lets hope Tomorrow (Tuesday is better)
Wow, that is one eventful day. Hope your tomorrow is better. Sorry to hear about your brother-in-law.
That's a hell of a day Mark, hope you and the missus are having a quieter night tonight and tomorrow is a bit calmer! Condolences as well on the brother-in-law.
Thanks for your condolences, I doubt it could be much worse,
Life does love to kick us when we're down doesn't it!
I'm so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. As to what you say in such circumstances? I've had a cousin, another cousin's husband and a couple of friends die in similar circumstances at similar ages and despite that breadth of experience I've yet to achieve any response that I felt was coherent, let alone comforting. Sounds to me like you did alright.
Glad Mrs Orcs is OK, must have been scary and then frustrating for her. Better excuse for being late to a meeting than I usually had though :)
The thing with the fifteen year old sounds all sorts of fishy, sooner you than me!
Here's to better tomorrows!
Yikes!
To better days.
Meanwhile we do what we can for the ones around us (as you have done) and hope that the same will be done for those distant from us.
Sounds like a hell of a day, you appear to have coped admirably
>:< >:< >:<
Keep calm and carry on
Yes, a rubbish day. Condolences to your family, a real shock to have to deal with.
Re the girl, I think 20 years ago the solution would have just been to drive her home, probably without thinking, but now, we are all conditioned to be uber careful with anything to do with kids or potential allegation or being scammed etc. As a society we seemed to have lost something along the way.
Condolences to you and yours. Fingers crossed today is better for all concerned.
Condolences to you and your Sister, Mark.
What a simply awful day. :(
Best wishes - Phil
Interesting times indeed !
Facilitations to your sister.
IanS
Condolences Mark. Hugs
Well done, Orcs. Not over yet (your poor sister). Condolences and best wishes.
Quote from: Norm on 01 August 2017, 04:57:09 AM
Re the girl, I think 20 years ago the solution would have just been to drive her home, probably without thinking, but now, we are all conditioned to be uber careful with anything to do with kids or potential allegation or being scammed etc. As a society we seemed to have lost something along the way.
That was my first thought as well, but as you have to be so careful. We certainly have lost something. While I would never wish to discount or belittle some of the appalling things that happen to youngsters I do wonder if we have gone so far the other way that it is now affecting all youngsters in a negative way.
Because of societies attitudes I left the poor girl, upset in the cold, dark and damp for nearly an hour while I sorted it out in a "politically correct way". what should have happened is she should have come in and sat on the sofa in the safety and warmth of my lounge while we sorted it out.
I did feel relieved when I saw her go into her Dad's house. At least she was off the streets and safe.
Thanks again for all your condolences.
Quote from: Orcs on 01 August 2017, 12:39:03 PM
That was my first thought as well, but as you have to be so careful. We certainly have lost something. While I would never wish to discount or belittle some of the appalling things that happen to youngsters I do wonder if we have gone so far the other way that it is now affecting all youngsters in a negative way.
Because of societies attitudes I left the poor girl, upset in the cold, dark and damp for nearly an hour while I sorted it out in a "politically correct way". what should have happened is she should have come in and sat on the sofa in the safety and warmth of my lounge while we sorted it out.
I did feel relieved when I saw her go into her Dad's house. At least she was off the streets and safe.
Alternatively, you aided and abetted a juvenile delinquent in the burglary of a house she'd already targeted after her partner in crime got cold feet and dumped her in the middle of nowhere. ;)
Wait ... what was it you said about having lost something? :)
Too many instances of "I'll just drive you home darling" followed by r*pe or molestation; it's not just you you've covered from harm there but her too, and all the other kids or vulnerable people in the same situation. She's had a rubbish hour in the rain, granted but possible alternatives are much worse (potentially so for both of you!). Not that I think she'd be in danger from you, Orcs (or indeed from the majority of people), but the past decades suggest far too many other people would not be safe.
Well handled for all your sakes. I'd say we've gained there :)
And yes, that's a pretty rubbish day elsewise - my commiserations :(
Condolences. And a very difficult situation to have to handle nowadays.
I'm surprised the police didn't send a car for her with her being a minor.
But you can pat yourself on the back knowing you got this girl safely to her dads.
Take care
Andy