I had just walked out of the gym and was throwing my gym bag into the backseat of my car when this kid, probably 14-15 years old, pushing a bike walk up and says “excuse me mr could you give me a ride home?”

I was caught off guard by the request, of course my first instinct was to quickly look around to see if some cops where about to jump out from some hiding place to arrest me for soliciting a minor, but then my sanity returned and I looked and realized his bike chain was busted and he must have decide to take a chance and ask me since I had a bike rack on the back of my car.

I asked why he didn’t call someone he knows to get him and all he said was his mom was still at work.

I shrugged and told him that I would like to help him but in case he hadn’t been paying attention all that’s on the news the last few months is that football coach Sandusky being arrested for molesting a bunch of kids. I would be putting myself into serious social and legal trouble if I helped him and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in the parking lot wasn’t already pulling their phone out about to dial 911 and call the cops claiming a pedophile creep was talking to some boy. He better just go back inside the gym and try calling someone he knows to give him a ride.

The poor kid had such a sad and shocked look on his face and just said “ok” and walked away.

I felt like I must have come off as grade A major asshole but I felt he deserved a bit of honesty about how the world really works.