The Perils of Travel - Beware of Scams

Last week we took our first vacation in five years. Now, I could tell you about all the fun we had and all the wonderful things we did, but I'll save that for another time. No, I believe I'll tell you about one situation we found ourselves in.

We started out in Missouri and wove our way through several states...Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and finally, Florida. But somewhere along this winding path we got a taste of being an obvious outsider.

I can't tell you which city or even state we were in. All I know is it was black outside and we'd traveled for over 11 hours and I can say with all honesty that potty breaks are something to be looked forward to when you are driving across country. You know the drill...unfold and stagger from the car. Rush into (hopefully) a clean convenience store and finish the process. Once you get back to the car the inevitable must be delayed by further stretching, a little groan of dismay as your spouse gets out for his turn, thus indicating that you must refold and lock yourself in with the kids.

Which is where this really begins...

My husband pried himself from the car after I was secure in my seat and went in for his turn. I sat with the doors locked, in the dark, with my sleeping children in the back, watching and waiting for him to come back when a small dark blue or black truck pulled up beside me. The man in the truck just sat there watching the store and suddenly I was struck by the thought that he was waiting for my husband (who was at the register at this point) to come out so he could go rob the store.

I mean really. Why would he just sit there if he wasn't up to any good? Well, I started feeling a bit uncomfortable and a little threatened by his presence but he still hadn't done anything.

Until my husband came out.

The man rolled his window down and said, "Excuse me sir, can you give me ten dollars? My mom is in the hospital and I need gas." My husband stood by our door looking slightly stunned then shook his head. The man never lifted his left hand but instead he lifted a cash register with his right and said, "All I have is this calculator."

A CASH REGISTER! Can you believe it? Who carries a register in their car if they haven't just come from a robbery? His next move confirmed for me that he had indeed robbed someone.

He pulled up to the light and engaged his left-hand turn signal, but then a cop drove in and pulled up to the store. The next thing, the truck zipped to the right, went down several blocks, then made a u-turn and flew back the opposite direction.

Sounds shifty to me.