Locked in The Boot of a Strangers Car

I was locked in the boot of a stranger's car for over 2-hours.

Here's what happened.

It was the summer of 1973.

I was just 10 years of age. Two of my siblings are slightly older than me whilst my youngest brother is 6 years younger than me.

My parents had a habit when I was this age. That habit was to drive back home to Edinburgh to visit their parents and family every month.

Only mum could drive. Despite lessons, my Dad never passed his driving test so Mum did all the driving.

The Old Battle Ship Grey Austin Cambridge

The old Austin Cambridge car had been loaded, the kids had also been loaded and off we went heading north towards Scotland.

The rear seat of that car always felt absolutely huge. It was. It had no seat belts or safety features. It was simply a long leather sofa-like seat. Three of us were in the back whilst the youngest always sat in the front with mum and dad.

In those days this was an 8-hour drive. Honestly, I am not sure how they could see anything with the amount of cigarettes they smoked. From the outside looking in it was almost like there was a fire in the car but in truth, most cars were like that in those days.

I don't know if you know the road but once you get to the end of the main road to Edinburgh you then drive through a ton of hills of all sizes. It is a magnificent drive.

The Car Died

This is where it all started. The cardigan to puff and pant. My mum and dad began to fight. My dad screamed at my mum trying to tell her what to do whilst my mum would keep shouting, ‘Jimmy shut up” I know classy but it was 1972.

Eventually, the car died. As smoke poured from the front of the car my parents got all four of us out and sat us what felt like in the middle of nowhere.

In those days there were no phones of course and it was dark.

So my Mum eventually flagged a car down. She asked them if they were heading into the city. The couple replied that yes they were. Neither knew each other. My Mum then asked if they minded taking us to my grandparents in Lochend Gardens in Leith, Edinburgh.

The couple replied yes. We were all bundled into a stranger's car. In their car was a dog and another child. I was locked in the boot and sat in the boot of the car with my brother whereas my brother and sister sat in the back seat with the dog and the stranger's child. The rear seat was left slightly open so we could breathe. At the time it was a huge adventure. 

I have no idea how long later but eventually we were dropped off at Granny Smith’s house all alive, well and smiling - with no mum and dad.

A Story Of Humanity and Trust

The strangers clearly explained what had happened to Granny Smith and that at some point Mum and Dad would turn up.

Finally, after a warm drink, my Granny put us all to sleep. I have no idea when Mum and Dad arrived but when we woke up in the morning they were in the house sleeping.

This is a story of trust and a story of humanity.

This was a time when trust was more of an intuitive thing rather than something you had to search, read, read reviews and then decide. These days I doubt very much any of the above would happen.

Trust when in force is a powerful force for humanity.

Yet trust like an old car can fall apart and eventually break down.

Maybe that is how a lot of us feel today. Trust has gone and yet so has that intuitive side of humans.

Is it possible to win back trust?

No.

History reveals that trust has to fall apart and then be reintroduced as a new dimension. This new dimension is introduced by those who discover trust and then decide to reintroduce it back into mankind. It’s almost like a reboot. It’s almost puritanical. It is almost like a new discovery that will cleanse the masses.

Yet the reality appears to be that are leading humankind are rotten, lying, untrustworthy, deceptive and ruling with an undercurrent driven by a lack of trust.

The cracks have been appearing and getting bigger for a long time now. I think as we look back the COVIDIAN lockdowns, mass control and human deception this will reveal an approach that gave most leaders to not step up but to reveal their true selves at a level never seen before in recent history. I think that dramatically accelerated distrust and fear as a weapon to control the masses.

Yet the reality is history is of course our teacher. The days will come when we can trust others and actually feel that trust to openly trust others with our children. We will now in an intuitive and very human way.

Not yet.

But.

It’s coming.

By the way, Mum and Dad's car survived but it needed a total overhaul.

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Yours

Alan Forrest Smith