Yesterday while running errands I stopped at a Walgreens and noticed, as I got out of my car, that a young girl sitting in the passenger seat of the car next to me looked distressed and as if she had been or was on the verge of crying. I also saw an older woman in the driver's seat, with a concerned and sad look on her face. So, I made my purchase at Walgreens and came out. When I got to my car, the young girl was definitely crying, and wiping her eyes with what looked like a scarf. The older woman looked even more concerned.

If the young girl had been alone, I think I would have asked "are you alright?" or "is there anything I can do to help you?", but with the older woman there, I felt anything I said would be intrusive. So, I got in my car, reached into my carryall, pulled out a couple of pocket packs of tissues, opened my door and offered them to the girl. She took them, said thank you, and rolled her window back up.

I find myself wondering about what might have been happening, what the story was. One of those "ships that pass in the night" kind of thing, I guess. But I wanted to tell someone about this.

By Karen~admin on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 07:53 pm:

Disturbing.....

How young was the girl? And how old was the older woman?

By Bellajoe on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 07:59 pm:

that's sad

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 09:12 pm:

The "girl" was probably in her early 20s - no younger than 18 at the very youngest. The older woman was somewhere between 40 and 60 - I'm not a good judge. I didn't see anything that would indicate there was any hostility between the two women, just sadness on both faces and in the posture of both. The car was in the well-traveled parking lot of a busy drugstore, and when I first parked, the passenger window (by the "girl") was open. So I don't think anything "wrong" was happening, just something that was causing both of them to be sad.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 09:22 pm:

That was nice of you to share your kleenex. I wonder what was wrong, too.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 10:44 pm:

The glimpses we get into each others lives, huh? Hopefully the tissues were a comfort. I also hope the burden that brought the tears isn't to heavy to bear.

By Annie2 on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 11:26 pm:

They were probably a mom and daughter or granddaughter.
You may have caught them at a time when they were disagreeing about something.
Not to trivalize your encounter but I love books and movies about how people witness other people and the effects they have on each other.
"Sliding Doors" with Gweneth Paltrow is one of these movies. How just by getting off the train, differently, can alter one's life.
You did have your red flags up, though...I hope they are okay. Did you happen to see a man in the store, shopping alone? You don't think she was kidnapped or anything like that, do you? Did you write down thier plate number?

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, October 9, 2008 - 05:49 am:

I think, too, Annie, that it was a mom and daughter. It wasn't "red flags", it was seeing the young woman in distress and wishing there was something I could do. (Too many years of being a mommie.) I truly don't think it was anything harmful or dangerous.

By Karen~admin on Thursday, October 9, 2008 - 09:40 am:

I'm thinking mom and daughter or grandmom and granddaughter - an unpleasant situation such as unplanned pregnancy, breakup with b/f, maybe something health related, possibly family issues such as divorce or death.......could be a number of things. I actually don't think it's *that* unusual - I have *cried in cars* before when really upset/distressed, and have seen others do it - and most importantly - did your gut tell you something out of the ordinary was going on? The gut should be trusted!

By Hol on Thursday, October 9, 2008 - 10:43 pm:

There are dozens of scenarios that it could have been. Maybe they had just come from a hospital where someone they love was gravely ill or had passed away. Maybe one of them just received grim news about their health. Maybe they had just come from having a beloved pet euthanized. Maybe one of them had just lost their job. You wish you knew...not out of nosiness but genuine concern.

When you offered the tissues, she accepted them graciously. If it was a "danger" situation, or they had needed more help I think the younger woman would have signaled you somehow.

It is interesting how our lives truly do intersect with one another, even people who are total strangers to us. It touched you enough to cause you to think about them, and I think that is what we are supposed to do. I dread the day if we ever witness something like that and it DOESN'T stay with us.

I was driving home from work the other night, on a dark country road and saw a small cat running along the road near the guardrail. I was tempted to stop and try to scoop her up, but then I thought that she might belong to someone, even though the houses were few along that stretch of road. As I was feeding my own kitties after work, I thought of that fur-baby and wondered if she would be getting such a nice dinner.

God bless you, Ginny, for being a caring person.