The day I was kidnapped… kinda… yeah… I was kidnapped.

 

I was reminded by a friend of this incident that happened just after Jason and I got married.  I went to see if I had a journal entry for that day.  I knew it happened early 2001 and I was journaling a lot around then.  I found an entry.  I’ll share it with you here.

 

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Feb. 7, 2001

What a week!  Jason’s been sick since Thursday night.  He missed most of Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and today at work.  Today he’s actually still in bed…. Anyway, Monday held more than sickness for us.

 

On Monday morning, I went to school. [I was attending Gardner College at the time.]  I took the afternoon off to take Jason to the doctor.  We had drama practice at 7:45pm, so we drove down to the school.  When we arrived we met A. P. [names withheld for privacy.]  and a stranger leaving the building.  Once inside we heard a brief story of this stranger.  He needed money for gas to fill his truck where his wife and three children were waiting for him.  They had given him $65.  he and A. P. returned after not finding D. P. who they were hoping would give the man a ride to his vehicle.

 

I volunteered to take him, if A. P. went along.  Jason was unable to go because he was practicing.  We understood that the vehicle was only at the Highway 21 Junction.  I’d only be gone 20 minutes at most.

 

We got to the car and the guy said his vehicle was about 20 minutes away and could we spare another $20.  We stopped at the Winks for A. P. to get that for him.

 

We were past the junction when I asked again how far his vehicle was.  He told me 25-30 miles.  I said okay.  But at this point I knew he had scammed us.  I was too scared to stop and tell him to get out of the car.  I simply did whatever he said.

 

He said his vehicle was near an ESSO station.  We drove by the Esso to Highway 14 into Edmonton.  He said then that his vehicle was near a golf course.  When we got to the golf course his truck was not there.

 

In an earlier conversation, he mentioned that he told his wife to try to get $20 for gas and go back to the U of A Hospital where it was warm.  We stopped at a gas station in Edmonton to call her.  He said that she would meet him at the Greyhound Bus Station down town.  We took him there.

 

At a stop light next to the depot he jumped out and said he’d go find his wife.  We turned around and found our way out of the city.  I found 50th Street to Beaumont.  On the edge of the city I called collect to Camrose.  I called my place first, hoping Jason was at home waiting for me to call.  I got the machine.  Next I called A. D.’s number in the dorm.  [Another girl] answered.  She accepted my call but was crying and couldn’t speak.  E. M. came on the phone.  I told her to find Jason and B.W. to let them know I was okay and on my way home.  We left the city, drove through Beaumont and home.

 

Meanwhile, at the school, much was going on.  When we had not returned in 20 minutes or 20, A. and Jason drove around looking for my car.  Around 9PM, Jason and J.B. drove around looking for my car.  D.P. called the Camrose Police around 9:15PM.  Then he took Jason out looking for us.  I called the dorm at 9:55PM.  The police were called again.  We arrived back around 10:55PM.

 

A.P. and I recounted for those waiting at the school the events of the evening……..

 

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There you have it!  The emotions of those few hours and the hours after were vast and intense.  We were so newly married (about 3 months).  There were lots of discussion and guidelines and rules set up after this incident for the school, too.  It was very interesting, intense, scary and … I don’t know what else.