When I was younger, I used to work at a gas station. This gas station sat off one exit to a roundabout, with the exit opposite this one having a grocery store right next to it. 

One evening (at around 8 pm), I got off work, got into my car, drove off the gas station lot, into the roundabout, out onto the road on the opposite side, and straight into the grocery store parking lot.

A car pulls into the parking space directly next to mine, but I don’t pay it any attention, grabbing my purse and basket. When I step outside the vehicle, I get stopped by the two men in the other car. That’s when I notice they’re wearing police uniforms and the car is a blue-and-white police car.

Officer #1: “Good evening; random traffic check.”

We’re already in a parking lot, but fine. I guess it doesn’t matter if they stop you in the street somewhere or in a parking lot.

Me: “Yes?”

Officer #2: “Can we see your driver’s license and car registration?”

Me: “Sure.”

It’s winter, so it’s pretty dark despite the lights around the parking lot, and the officer has to shine his flashlight into my purse so that I can find my license among all the other cards. While he is looking at my license, I hand him the other one, my car paperwork.

Officer #1: “And where are you going today?”

Me: “I’m getting groceries?”

This should be obvious, since I parked at the grocery store before I was even aware of this cop car.

Officer #2: “And where did you just come from?”

Me: “Work.”

Officer #1: “And where is that?”

I am wearing jeans and a bright red jumper with the gas station name and logo on it in white. I’m even still wearing the name tag. I simply point at the gas station across the street, where giant red flags with the white name/logo and the price signs are on display.

They handed me back my stuff and let me go on, and I never found out if they were just bored or looking for someone with my type of car or what. They were gone by the time I came back out of the store.

CONTENT WARNING: Mention of suicide

This is the abbreviated story of Swiss Peter’s charity to someone perhaps even stranger than himself. “Robin”* (different name) is a homeless young person who arrived in the city very recently. Somehow, the two connected and have been discussing Robin’s situation via social media DM.

Robin is sleeping in a tent. Someone vandalised the tent and stole the sleeping bag. Robin can no longer find their things; they are disorganised in the tent. They also have more medical problems than a doctor’s dictionary.

Peter: “I have sleeping bag. I give it to you. You are where?”

Robin: “Yes, I need a sleeping bag. I’m in a shelter for victims. The location is obviously a secret; I can’t meet you.”

In a social media post, Robin said they wanted to unalive themselves. Peter took this seriously. He contacted the police using a method intended for deaf people.

Police: “Police 112, what is the emergency?”

Peter: *Tries to explain, in sign.*

Police: “But what can we do with this information? We have no description. You didn’t meet them; we don’t even know they are in [City].”

Peter thought he had overreacted. Anyway, it was passed to a female police officer, who contacted him.

Police Officer: “Send me screenshots of your messages.”

Peter: *Sends pictures, not screenshots, in case Robin is alerted.*

Police Officer: “I know which shelter they mean. I will go check they are okay. Is Robin male or female?”

Peter: “I don’t know. Complex.”

Police Officer: “Pardon?”

Peter: “Queer, trans, something. Can you give my sleeping bag?”

Police Officer: “Umm… yes? Bring it to the police station.”

Armed with Peter’s sleeping bag, she went to the shelter to find Robin, of unknown gender. Maybe Robin is not okay and needs to be taken into care. Robin could not be found. Peter did more research. Robin has been involved with police, mental hospitals, and children’s services, and posted about it. They often reject help.

Seeing this, Peter changes strategy. Don’t chase someone with help they don’t want. Talk to them like your friend, not a patient. Then he sees someone giving away a tent and an inflatable bed.

Peter: “Robin. Good day?”

Robin: “I’m at [Hospital] because I tried to finish things.”

Peter: “Oh? How is hospital?”

Robin: “Too noisy.”

Peter: “You want this?” *Sends link to tent.*

Robin: “That would be nice.”

Peter: “Is there anything else you need? Clothes washed? White chocolate?”

Peter collected the tent and inflatable bed.

Peter: “I have the tent. Where are you?”

Robin: *Making excuses.*

Peter remembers the mindset of who he is dealing with. Mental health patients often do not think clearly.

Peter: “This. Is. Simple. You said you want tent; you take tent. Where are you? Public place, daylight, bring friend.”

Robin: *Gives location, at homeless charity.*

Peter went to that location. He met Robin. Robin is AMAB, assigned male at birth, identifies as nonbinary or female and doesn’t care about pronouns. They discussed Robin’s background, needs, and solutions. He hands over the tent… making an excuse about a delayed sleeping bag.

Robin: “I am dangerous. To me. I can jump off that [five-level building for parking].”

Peter remembers normal answers have not worked. Also, he is just a stranger. He doesn’t have to talk like a doctor.

Peter: “If jump, who takes your body?”

Robin: “What?”

Peter: “Police, maybe doctor, find dead man. You. Who is family? Wife, children? You said, have none.”

Robin: “…”

Peter: “I ask again. Who takes body? Is John Doe. Cremation. It burns. Ashes. No dignity. Why do this?”

It has been some weeks. Peter and Robin are still in contact. Peter’s confrontational, depressing description of a homeless man’s dead body changed Robin. They are more motivated to handle challenges. To my knowledge, he did not attempt to unalive themself again.

Peter himself became a running joke for unknown gender. If someone might be androgynous, intersex, trans, or queer and we cannot find out, we say “ask Peter.” 

Then, he sent this email to the first police officer in this story:

Peter: “Can I have my sleeping bag back? Give to Robin.”

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I was driving to work the other day when I came to a T-intersection where I would have to pull out onto a main road. Given that it was rush hour, there was a lot of traffic on the road, so I had to sit and wait for an opening in traffic so I could pull out across traffic to reach the lane on the far side of the main road.

As I was waiting, a lady in an SUV pulled up behind me and obviously decided that I was just loitering around in front of her for no reason, and that all the cars rushing past on the main street were just illusions or something. So, she started to honk her horn.

I just kept watching traffic and waiting for my moment, and finally, an opening in traffic appeared. I was able to pull across, and, luckily, the far lane also had an opening at that moment, so I was able to slide right in.

Miss SUV, obviously too important to follow my example and actually check traffic before pulling out, came blazing out behind me, and immediately had to swerve to avoid being hit by a car that wasn’t expecting an SUV to suddenly come bursting onto the street right in front of them. I kept going, and, after a bit more swerving and cutting off a couple more cars, Miss SUV came charging after me.

I reached the stoplight at the next intersection, and signaled that I would be turning right. Miss SUV came up behind me, close enough that our bumpers might have touched if there was even a slight breeze, and she was very visible in my rearview, waving her arms and shouting angrily. Given her gesturing at the child in the seat next to her, I would wager she was going on about how I almost got her kid hurt or something along those lines, because she did not seem to be the type of person to practice basic skills like ‘self-awareness’ or ‘responsibility for one’s actions’.

A gap in traffic came, so I was able to make my right turn, and this time, Miss SUV showed enough intelligence to pause before trying to tear around the corner after me, which means she didn’t end up cutting off the pickup truck that was passing through the intersection at that moment.

I thought that this might be the end, as I lost sight of her as I continued down the street; however, when I reached the final traffic light that I would need to turn at to reach my work, who should I see in my rearview but Miss SUV. I could see the moment when she recognized my car, as she suddenly accelerated, and it honestly looked like she was planning to just straight up ram into me.

Thankfully, the light turned green at that point, I was able to make my left turn, and thereby get out of her way. Miss SUV literally skidded as she came into the intersection, apparently too focused on ‘catching up’ to me or something to bother with things like ‘slowing down to turn safely’, and she almost skidded straight into some of the cars that were waiting on the far side of the intersection. She managed to course correct, started to peel out to chase after me… and the police car that had been waiting on the cross street of that intersection turned on their lights and flipped a U-turn to pull out behind her.

I could practically hear her scream of outrage when the cop followed her past my car (as I had properly pulled over while Miss SUV tried to keep driving for a bit, maybe hoping that there was some mistake and the cop wasn’t actually after her), and, as I drove past the two of them on the side of the road a few seconds later, I could see her rocking back and forth in her seat in obvious anger.

I’m currently using the phone, talking to my mum, when a Scammer calls me on my other phone:

Me: “May I ask who this is?”

Scammer: “I’m from the Australian Taxation Office, and I would like to speak to you about your unpaid taxes.”

Me: “But according to the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Volume 4, Chapter 3, Part 3-5, Division 165, Subdivision 165-CC, Section 165-115A, Subsection (1), Paragraph (c), Subparagraph (ii)…”

Scammer: *Click.*

I may have made it up, though.

In my work, we deal with a lot of subcontractors. Due to some legal updates, we have to issue an update to our terms and conditions. One of the updates is a clause explicitly forbidding the use of modern slavery, bribery, and fraud. We’re not really expecting much pushback on this, as it’s all in standard legalese, and the clauses are in the law anyway, but you add them into contracts to really emphasise them.

We had one contractor come back and claim, and I quote:

Contractor: “We find the request an infringement of our customer/basic human rights of privacy and, to say the least, onerous for us as a company. To use this as leverage, to adhere to the contract or lose work, is not acceptable to us. We find it morally wrong that you should attempt to control and repress your workforce in this unreasonable manner.”

I bring the contractor’s response to my manager.

Manager: “That’s bonkers. Well… okay then, toddle off somewhere else with your slaves in that case!”

Me: “I feel like I should be sending a tip-off to the police or something.”

Manager: “Look, contractors are idiots and don’t do words well. Message him back and re-emphasise that the legal update is that we are against modern slavery, bribery and fraud. Sometimes they read this legalese and think we’re for it.”

Okay, so I go do that. I message the contractor and then get a response.

Manager: “What did they say?”

Me: “They said they understood the first time, and they agree with the bribery and fraud part.”

Manager: “But… not the modern slavery part?”

Me: “I said what I said.”

Manager: “Yeah… okay… maybe we should tip off the police.”

My manager actually forwarded the email chain to a police detective, who said he would look into it. 

A month later, that contractor disappeared from our list as the company was shut down.