I Might Be An Idiot...

...but at least I'm a big-hearted idiot.

As a mother, you do everything you can to protect your child.  You put cream on her bum to protect from diaper rash.  You put up baby gates and those little plastic things into electrical outlets.  You lock the cupboards, turn down the temperature of the water heater and make sure she's securely strapped into her high chair.  You put pads on the sharp corners of the fireplace and get rid of hanging cords.  And all of that goes out the fucking window the moment you pull over and pick up two hitch hikers.  And their dog.

On the way to Saskatoon yesterday, I'm not really sure what possessed me to stop and pick up the couple standing on the side of the road.  I'm thinking it was the dog who, quite honestly, is best equipped for a long walk like that (there was tons of water in the ditches for her to drink).  But, stop I did and as Annette and Gustav were climbing into the van and introducing themselves, there was a fleeting moment where my heart dropped into my stomach and I thought to myself, "This could go very, very bad.  This could be the opening paragraph of the next Reader's Digest "Drama In Real Life" story".

As we began chatting, Annette and I made a quick connection - I knew her grandmother from Deschambeault Lake (where I grew up).  The instant I realized that, I said I had to phone my parents and tell them.  I honestly wasn't concerned about telling my mom and dad that I met their old friend's granddaughter - I just wanted to "subtly" tell someone that I had hitchhikers in the vehicle so if I disappeared, they would at least have some info to go on.  But my parents weren't home, so I was completely on my own - hurtling down the highway with pink-haired, facially pierced Annette and South American born Gustav.

The rest of the drive was quite pleasant.  We talked about the normal things that complete strangers would talk about.  You know, things like conspiracy theories, genetic memory in your DNA, the cause behind Libya's uprising and how our government is using fluoride for mind control.

I asked where they wanted to be dropped off in S'toon and they said anywhere was fine with them.  I drove them downtown and dropped them off in a 7-11 parking lot.  As I was nearing the lot, I thought to myself, "Okay - if they are going to pull a knife or a gun, now is going to be the time.  If they do, remain completely calm.  Give them your keys and your purse.  Tell them they obviously need these things more than you do.  Get out of the vehicle with the keys in your hand until you have Kat out of her car seat.  Give them the keys and walk away, without making a scene."

Of course, this didn't happen.  Annette and Gustav were extremely polite and thanked me many times for the ride and the chatting.  I wished them well in their travels and backed out of the parking lot, while simultaneously checking to make sure my wallet was still in my purse.  As I drove away, I shook my head and thought, "Wow.  That was REALLY stupid of me to do".

Mike later pointed out to me that if I want to pick up strangers, do it on my own time, not with his daughter in the vehicle.  I took this opportunity to point out to Mike that things could have gone the other way - that they were taking a chance by hitchhiking and, really,  I could have just as easily murdered them :)