Taken...out for orange juice

So have you seen that movie Taken? Remember how that girl is named Kim? Let's just say sometimes even I admit I'm lucky I haven't ended up "taken." You see, sometimes I just go wandering off with random people. Well, Tuesday night after hopping the fence and getting to the metro and safely on my way home, I was standing studying vocab because there weren't any seats left. This guy kept turning and looking at me, and then he finally asked if I knew what the next stop was. I told him I thought Dynamo, but wasn't sure. It wasn't. It was Airport. Which I told him as soon as we got close to the stop. He then gave me his seat, which I thanked him for. A few minutes later he asked if I knew how to get to a bus station by our stop, and I told him sorry I wasn't from here and couldn't tell him.

The conversation would have stopped here had I not said when we were both getting off the metro, "I think you go that way." He decided this meant he should invite me to have a cup of coffee with him and his friend. I really wasn't interested and was really tired, so I tried to politely say no, forgetting that politely saying no is half way to yes here. Finally, I said, sorry, I don't even drink coffee. To which he offered tea, then vodka, then beer. I definitely don't drink those I said. Well, I somehow got talked in to at least walking in the same direction as them. We then found a little Kiosk where they sell candy, food, and drinks. They got me an orange juice and each grabbed a beer. Then Michail said to me, "Wow, you are the first girl I know who would go off with two complete strangers, someone she doesn't even know." Dang it, I thought, I totally could have gotten away with turning down the offer! They expected me to! After talking a bit longer (still right by the metro), I thanked them, and tried to take my leave. "We'll walk you home." "Oh, no, really, no I'm fine. Nice meeting you." They ended up walking me home. Unfortunately, we went a little different way than I was used to going. All of the following took place in a joking manner: they were like, "You don't even know where you live? Or are you just taking us for a walk? (he laughed here) What would you have done if we hadn't come with you? You would have been wandering alone and that's not safe." That's some odd reasoning. I don't really know you. But I knew where I was and just took a turn towards where I live. "No, no, I know where I live, I just had to come a bit different of a way so I didn't recognize it at first." "How would you have found it without us?" "You didn't find my house. I did. Plus, I wouldn't have gone a different way, so I wouldn't have been lost at all." "Oh, so this is our fault?" he laughed again. "I'm just kidding with you," he said.

Finally, I told them I was by my house (there was no way I was walking them to where I actually live), and we said our goodbyes. I wasn't too far from home at this point and made it home quickly.

So everything turned out all right, and they really were nice. If I had had ANY feeling that they were sketchy I would NEVER have put myself in this situation. But even so, I realize this is not the best way to go about making new friends, and have decided to chalk this up to experience--next time I will be prepared with a firm, but kind, no thanks, and be on my way!

Don't worry, mom--I'm being safe...now :) And all's well that ends well?