BBM & SBM (bolded by me & snipped by me) -
Your post has reminded me about something that happened to me that I'd rather have continued to forget. And let me say up front, this was before cellphones or laptops or portable electronics of any kind.
I had been staying with a boyfriend for awhile during the year that I was 17 and we broke up and I'd moved back home but was very emotional about it still, crying over nothing and everything, you know. One of my (much older) brothers was having a small get together at his apartment and asked if I wanted to come and hang out at his place to get out of the house, change of scenery, maybe cheer me up a bit, so I went.
This was nice enough 30 something aged people and no craziness or anything, and in fact I was pretty bored and asked my brother to give me a ride home whenever he got a chance. I was going to wait until all his friends left so he could lock up and bring me back home but he told me that one of his good buddies was heading out now and could give me a ride. This guy was a total stranger to me but my brother was an upstanding guy, wore suits to work and stuff, cleancut, etc so I wasn't worried.
I remember sitting in the passenger seat and him reaching over once the car was going, and putting his hand on my left thigh. I was about 17 and he was in his 30s and I never saw him before, and I was alone in his moving vehicle and it was late and HIS HAND WAS ON MY THIGH.
I just froze and went someplace deep inside myself, became very quiet and tried to think what to do.
Then he turned and got onto the highway. I knew home wasn't this way.
I asked him, "where are you going?" and he said "this is just a little short cut".
I said it wasn't, and with his hand still on my thigh I at that point blanked out whatever else happened, because all I recall now, 20 + years later, is him finally pulling into hte driveway at my mother's house and me getting out and going inside and sobbing inconsolably for ages before calling my brother and screaming at him for what his friend had just done to me. He couldn't believe it, he was in shock and never doubted me but could not believe that someone he'd known for YEARS could be like that.
anyway.
Adrienne's story suddenly reminded me of my own.
My brother knew the guy so well, they were longtime buddies, why wouldn't I feel safe taking the ride that he set up for me? KWIM?