FROM ARIZONA TO CALIFORNIA

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On the road again...



So, we tried jugging for a bit. Got $11. We were feeling somewhat discouraged as we were in a rather conservative state and a rich area. Also, we are apparently too lazy to sit around and ask for gas money (or mostly that might just be me, J has a bit more patience). Either way we were ready to go, so we got organized for the next day and posted another rideshare for going to San Diego. We got multiple responses, the best one being $200 for gas to drive to San Diego. This was a woman and her FIVE children. yes...

We agreed though as it was a good amount of gas money and we decided it would probably not be a total cotastrophe to make it to where we wanted to be. After all, beggars can't be choosers. As the 'communication' started it was clear that this lady was not the sharpest of women. I have communication in quotes, because of her lack of it. At first she was going to meet us in the parking lot where we were at, but her ride bailed so we offered to pick her up. This was in the opposite direction, but we figured worth it in the end. So, then it took us a nice 5 minute conversation just to get an address. She could not get that we needed an actual address for the GPS rather than crappy directions in an area we aren't familiar with. The next step was getting there. We had to call her multiple times to try to find where near the apartment complex she was. For some reason she refused to meet us out front. Finally, one of her sons was sent as a runner to meet us and lead the way, which winded us through the labyrinth like parking lot. We ended up right near the front gate we were at in the beginning. Jeeze the lady could have just showed up at the gate in the first place and pointed out where she was. Or at least stood outside of the apartment so we could see her. Then we realized...'oh shit'...apparently she is moving. Her boyfriend broke up with her. SO MANY BAGS! Granted she does have 5 kids, but we didn't realize we were a moving service.



So, we are all loaded up and finally on our way. We stop and get gas on the way out. She could only get us $140 for now because of the gas station ATMs not accepting EBT and the cashiers are only allowed to dole out so much cash back from EBT at a time. That was fine, because we used what we had to fill up enough for quite a while. Then she took forever at 7-11. We start the trip out of town at around 3pm. Not the earliest start to a road trip, but whateves.

The drive goes pretty well for a while. The children are damn well behaved and enjoy our puppy. We do have to tell him to be gentle over and over again, but that was expected anyway. We stop for a bathroom break for us and the dog at a Burger King.

She askes me, "So, are you making a stop in San Diego?"

This should have been the first clue to a major miscommunication, but I just assumed she was asking about our reasons for going there. So, I said we were just planning on hanging out in the area for a while before we headed to Washington for the holidays. She didn't comment on that. So, we moved on with our day. At one point she said that her GPS said we needed to go in a different direction and asked why wer weren't getting on the 10 as opposed to the 8. We said it was because, we just typed in San Diego in our GPS and followed directions since we didn't necessarily know the best way to get there and GPS worked fine. She didn't make a further comment on this.

So, we are happily driving along the 8 and Jay mentions that we have about 3 or 4 hours left to San Diego according to GPS. Less than I expected. At this point she finally gives us and exact address to her sister's place and where she needs to go. Jay looks it up and discovers it is in LA. Three more hours of driving. If we had known this from the beginning we would have probably been perfectly okay with driving to LA instead of the desired San Diego and therefore taken the 10 which goes directly there. Well, now it was too late as we had already been on our way for a while. We decided that, no we would not in fact be driving 3 more hours this day since the orignial agreement had been San Diego. This is after all what our ad said and neither of us had ever heard LA until now. I guess at some point Jay talked to her sister and her sister told here that yes we were going to LA where she lived. WHAT? She didn't seem mad, just worried and a bit depressed. She did have about 3 hours to get into contact with her sister and figure something out though.



It took her a while, but her sister eventually found a ride to pick her up. We ended up in Poway which is near San Diego and was decently close to the 15 which was a straight shot to where she needed to go anyway. So, it was an okay place to meet but still 2 hours away from her sister's place. At this point she had been making a scene about things and we were frustrated and tired. It was not our fault that she could not communicate her needs effetively. She was extremely passive the entire time until now. Now she was annoyed that we had no idea exactly where we were going in or near San Diego. Well, hell the ad never said LA, it only said San Diego anyway and yes we didn't know our exact way around. Shit lady we got you most of the way there.

We were definitely ready to shove some food in our mouths and go to bed, but our RV was full of people and bags. We ate and gave her as much time as we could before her sister arrived (rather reluctantly). So, finally came the time when we were like, "Hey it's the end of the rideshare and we need to sleep. We will help you put your stuff in some carts and you can wait in this convienient Walmart that is open 24 hours."

At this point we thought she only had like an hour left to wait anyway, but I guess her sister had only left about 25 minutes ago even though we gave her the exact address of the Walmart an hour ago at least. She refused to get out saying that her kids were sick and she would not wait with them in the cold. First of all, there was a perfeclty warm and safe Walmart with seats inside. Second of all it wasn't that long of a wait for her. Thirdly, we offered to help. If fact Jay had already been unloading her stuff, haha. Yeah, it was kind of Dick of him I agree, but this is one of the reasons I love him. He does not mind going into action to solve a problem. Now, normally I would have more compassion for someone with five kids. I understand that she probably didn't want to gather her kids up and haul all her stuff out. However, she was less than heplful the entire time and I could tell she had a bit of the crazy in her. Since, her kids were not actually in danger it was just a hassell for her and not a big deal.

Unfortunately, it came down to calling the cops. She was like, "Yeah go ahead and call them."

What? I don't understand why people decide that getting the cops called on them is a great idea. I have dealt with this situation a lot actually, while working at a hostel. What do people think will happen? It's private property. The cops are only going to tell her to leave. I think she just wanted to cause more trouble and was hoping that we would not actually follow through. Sorry lady, if you start trouble we are not having it. Jay was on the phone pretty much right after she said to call them. So, they show up and it is of course rediculous. The officer looks annoyed that he has to handle a situation as silly as this, but is very polite.

She then goes on to tell him that we lied to her saying we were going to LA, then all of the sudden changed it to San Diego and she paid us $200. She wanted her money back!

*Sigh*

The cop had to tell her that it didn't matter what was verbally agreed upon she had to leave because it was our RV and she was no longer welcom. She could take it up in small claims court if she wanted her money back. Of course to have any kind of case, she would need to print out the ad that said we were going to LA (which of course didn't exist). Besides, fair seems fair. We had a miscommunicaiton. She didn't get to where she needed to be, but she got most of the way. We didn't get the full $200, but we did get $140. So, as far as I'm concerned the agreement was adjusted accordingly. It's not like we left her in the middle of nowhere, her sister was showing up.

She continued to play the stereotypical victim card.

"They swindle that's what they do! Find people to give them money so they can get to where they need to be, then swindle them. And, look, a woman by herself with kids..."

I find it unfortunate when I see a woman who puts herself in situations to look like a victim. It was clear that she had been doing it for quite a while, instead of taking control of her life. I feel bad for her five children that she obviously didn't have the ability to take care of properly. She shouldn't have this many children. It's called a free clinic, they give people birth control. For free! I don't have insurance; I have utilized such places. It's really not that difficult to be responsible. I'm usually not this harsh. However, it riles me up that she actively put herself in this situation, uses her children as excuses, then blamed us. I'm not against needing help in life, but I am against this kind of behavior in an adult. Maybe I am being too harsh though. It could be that she is unconsious of her behavior and stuck in a type of pattern where she victimizes herself. This just gets me thinking about soiety and some of the unfortunate messages it teaches women as we grow up. So, maybe I am not being harsh enough about society then.

Anyway, we learned our lesson. Next time we post a rideshare it will be super specific about where we are going. We will make sure to check and recheck if the person understands where we are going, where they need to be and what everyone has agreed upon. I guess beggars can be choosers after all. Anyway, enough of that subject. It was kind of hilarious and quite interesting.

We finally got a nice rest and today it is warm and sunny. Not summer warm by any stretch, but that wonderful feeling you get with the first spring time warmth. Bright and beautiful and pleasant.

Until next time! Catch you all in a couple days. <3

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