Viewing 38 posts - 1 through 38 (of 38 total)
  • When is trusting too trusting?
  • camo16
    Free Member

    Saw a ‘suspicious character’ on the commute home tonight. He was riding crazily in front of me and was, in Liverpool parlance, a right hard knock (to look at), tough, strapping and bald. I rode past him. He sped up. I rode faster. He sped up. I stopped, making out I needed to check my bike. He stopped and said: “I was following you.”

    Which is not what you want to hear.

    He was lost apparently. I offered to take him to a place in the city he knew – because I’m a nice guy. We chatted. He admired my ride, I admired his. We compared lengths. Before I knew it I’d told him about my family (not names, though) and about my six-year-old son, who has toothache.

    Left him at the agreed point. We shook hands. I felt like the good samaritan (not in Phil Consequence style, but good anyway).

    Mrs 16, though, was not impressed. I should never have told a stranger so much, apparently. He could have been a weirdo… or a thief…

    So… when is trusting too trusting?

    project
    Free Member

    Saw a ‘suspicious character’ on the commute home tonight. He was riding crazily in front of me and was, in Liverpool parlance, a right hard knock (to look at), tough, strapping and bald ,

    Sounds like me.

    We chatted. He admired my ride, I admired his. We compared lengths. Before I knew it I’d told him about my family (not names, though

    Did you get a date then, no wonder the 16 year old wife is annoyed

    nonk
    Free Member

    nah bollox you did the right thing, i would rather get stitched now and then than live in fear of everyone.

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    muppetWrangler
    Free Member

    Not that. That’s just having a chat with a fella.

    The problem is that people have stopped having a chat with other people. So much misunderstanding, fear and resentment would be nipped in the bud if more people had a bit of a chat.

    uplink
    Free Member

    . We compared lengths

    whilst riding? – impressive

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    she’s paranoid but he does love you 😉
    FFS you talked to a stranger…. dont go all southern now and think they must be mad or you did something wrong

    camo16
    Free Member

    It’s not like I gave him my bank account number, or told him where I live… He’d have to be pretty smart to work out enough about me to be a problem… or follow me home. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t followed.

    No date, project. We’ve agreed to keep things platonic for now. 8)

    His was longer. 😳

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    So much misunderstanding, fear and resentment would be nipped in the bud if more people had a bit of a chat

    yes I often think of the chat forum and random folk exchanging views as a place of chilled out harmony and brotherly [ and sisterly] love

    camo16
    Free Member

    yes I often think of the chat forum and random folk exchanging views as a place of chilled out harmony and brotherly [ and sisterly] love

    :mrgreen:

    That’s all I’ve encountered here – peace, love, goodwill and excellent advice.

    project
    Free Member

    Strangely i always talk to peeps on bikes,only ever met 2 nutters, one tried to nick my bike when i helped to fix his puncture, and the other, best not to go there.

    bruneep
    Full Member

    Mrs 16

    Your wife is 16 😯

    druidh
    Free Member

    his username is camo16, hence Mrs 16!

    muppetWrangler
    Free Member

    yes I often think of the chat forum and random folk exchanging views as a place of chilled out harmony and brotherly [ and sisterly] love

    I guess here is not really the best example. Faceless chat seems to end up as posturing rather than pleasantries for some reason.

    camo16
    Free Member

    Strangely i always talk to peeps on bikes,only ever met 2 nutters, one tried to nick my bike when i helped to fix his puncture, and the other, best not to go there.

    I guess the trouble is spotting the nutters whilst checking out your escape route. Most people I chat to, though, seem nice. Mrs 16 – who’s not 16 – is less optimistic about human nature.

    At what point did nuttiness manifest?

    Mrs 16’s point is that apparently nice folks can turn on you without warning… or that they can cagily work you over conversation wise and learn everything there is to know. Days later, Glenn Close turns up with a saucepan and a flask of hot water and you know, right there and then, that your bunny’s had it.

    project
    Free Member

    Mrs 16 – who’s not 16 – is less optimistic about human nature

    southerner then.

    camo16
    Free Member

    southerner then.

    Scouser. I’m the southerner. Are Liverpool ladies normally optimists about strangers?

    sturmey
    Free Member

    I find on my commute if I see other cyclists I usually say hi, wave/nod or try to engage in conversation but nine times out of ten they ignore me or start to ride faster. Im not mad i’ve got a piece of paper says so. I think nowadays people see trying to strike up a conversation with a stranger odd.

    LadyGresley
    Free Member

    project – Member

    Strangely i always talk to peeps on bikes,only ever met 2 nutters, one tried to nick my bike when i helped to fix his puncture, and the other, best not to go there.
    *hopes not to be identified as the other nutter* 🙂
    I’m far too trusting, talking to strangers has almost got me into trouble on more than one occasion, but the alarm bells usually sound just in time for me to make a hasty exit!

    camo16
    Free Member

    Thanks guys!

    Thing is, Mrs 16 kind of has a point. He was a BIG guy. Speeding up to catch me on the almost deserted riverfront. Not the perfect ambush scenario, but not too far off. I guess I could have sped up and avoided the potential nutter. In the event, I’m glad I was able to help. But it COULD have gone way, way wrong.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Don’t be paranoid, but don’t be naive either.

    camo16
    Free Member

    Just as I thought! Cheers, guys.

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    Thought it might have been about this.

    camo16
    Free Member

    Thought it might have been about this.

    Now you mention it, those are some seriously shifty eyes. We really should have known… we should have seen the signs… What WERE we thinking?

    sturmey
    Free Member

    Bloody hell just read in yesterdays telegraph and argus a guy I pass coming to and from work on the towpath has just been been found guilty of strangling a girl walking her dog. For at least the past 6 years I have said hi, let him know the time asked if he is ok. I just thought he was homeless/tramp and possibly a bit slow as he used to be just stood staring at the water most of the time, unkempt and sometimes asleep at the side of the tow path on a summers morning.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    I offered to take him to a place in the city he knew

    and where his mates were waiting for you?

    tricky one, I might err on the side of caution, personally, and offer directions rather than guiding myself.

    TheSouthernYeti
    Free Member

    Way too trusting. I don’t even discuss things with those closest to me let alone strangers.

    crikey
    Free Member

    He said kneel down, shut your eyes and open your mouth.

    I won’t trust him again!

    HermanShake
    Free Member

    I read “strangling a girl and walking her dog” 😳 that’s tragic, anyone can develop mental health issues and become a nutter. That sort of thing just doesn’t rationally compute.

    With regards to the topic, it doesn’t sound like you mentioned anything that would make you vulnerable. I also think if you’re going to be f*cked over by a stranger, it’s going to happen so don’t try and expect it from all people.

    Fear breeds fear, better to give people the benefit of the doubt but follow your instinct.

    Also, attacks towards women are far more common so from Mrs 16 perspective it would have potentially been a risky situation for her. I think she was imagining herself in your shoes.

    He may well have been both a weirdo and a thief, but perhaps he was taking a break to unwind on his bike?

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Reading this story of innocence has reminded me of something. I have heard several stories of motorcyclists being nice & offering someone a lift only to be groped by their new passenger once travelling at speed.

    Never happens to me 🙁 😉

    GlitterGary
    Free Member

    I have one simple rule – don’t trust anyone in lycra. Especially Mr Motivator, on a cool November morning, in Slough, in 1997.

    camo16
    Free Member

    I have one simple rule – don’t trust anyone in lycra. Especially Mr Motivator, on a cool November morning, in Slough, in 1997.

    This fascinates me. More details?

    GlitterGary
    Free Member

    All I can say is…it still hurts. 🙁

    camo16
    Free Member

    Did he at least offer you a smoke and a cuddle afterwards? 😀

    GlitterGary
    Free Member

    No, we compared lengths though.

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    Mrs camo16 clearly reads the daily mail. All men a rapists or paedophiles OR BOTH.

    jumpupanddown
    Free Member

    You are very trusting , I assume every one is a potential threat to they show other wise, wouldn’t go out on my bike with out some means to defend my self. Try to take my bike one of us is going to die.

    project
    Free Member

    http://www.letstravelwise.org/content68_Cycle-Maps-and-Leisure-Routes.html

    send out free maps of the liverpool, wirral, sefton ,knowsley, st helens, areas of merseysideshire all for free.

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    You’re always too trusting. It doesn’t have to be “god, is he following, I daren’t look over my shoulder” panic, but I rarely trust anyone, especially not strangers. If he was lost why didn’t he call out as you passed and ask for help? Why did he wait for you to stop? Leading you to a place he knew, with his mates…

    I had an incident recently where I was lost, discussing a route with a friend. A chap on a BSO stopped and offered to lead us to the beginning of where we wanted to go, then proceded to lead us down a dark overgrown alley into a mildly dodgy area. It didn’t send us where we wanted to go but it did leave us a bit lost again, but in a worse area lol. Fortunately he was apparently genuine and we were not ambushed on the way but both of us were silently wary of it and considering escape routes 🙂 It was kind of fun to be honest.

Viewing 38 posts - 1 through 38 (of 38 total)

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