Wednesday One-Shot: Creepy Talent Scout at McDonald's

[00:00:02] Welcome to Wednesday One-Shots, the new series where we help you get through that midweek slump with a bonus story. This week we have Creepy Talent Scout at McDonalds by a listener that goes by the name of Christine.

[00:00:26] I want to tell a story from my childhood, from years ago. It still haunts me. Back in 1999, I was 17 years old and working at a local McDonalds. I had worked there for a few years and I had made many friends with co-workers that worked similar shifts.

[00:00:44] I was also dating a guy who worked at McDonalds. I ended up marrying him and have been with him since. I like to share that because while he's my husband, he is the person who I truly believe ended up saving my life on this day 23 years ago.

[00:00:59] Without him, I don't know where I would be today or if I'd be around to tell the story. It was a typical day at McDonalds. I was working with many of my friends and chatting with our regular customers who came through the line.

[00:01:12] My friends and I always found a way to have a lot of fun and this day was no different. We cranked up the radio, probably louder than we were supposed to, and we sang every song as we got our work done.

[00:01:25] I was working at the front register and having a great time singing and dancing to the music. After helping one of my customers, he said to me, You're quite the singer. You could really make it big someday.

[00:01:37] This should have been an immediate red flag because I am a terrible singer, but I was young, naive and flattered so I thanked him. Then I went about my day with the extra confidence boost. A few minutes later, the man walked back into the restaurant and said,

[00:01:53] You know, I should have mentioned this before, but I'm a talent scout. I've recruited many celebrities and I'm sure that I could make you famous. For context, my family didn't have a lot of money so I was blinded by the potential for fame and fortune.

[00:02:11] All I heard was that this guy could change my life, which meant I wouldn't have to struggle and I'd be wealthy at the age of 17. I was eager for him to tell me more, all the while ignoring the thousands of warnings I had heard my whole life.

[00:02:26] Don't talk to strangers, don't trust people that you don't know and don't get into cars with strangers. The list goes on. But at that moment, this talent scout didn't feel like a stranger. I felt like I knew him because he was making me believe what he was saying.

[00:02:43] He asked me what time I got out of work and I told him that my shift ended at 1. He told me that he would come back and pick me up to take me to his recording studio. I'm ashamed to say, I was beyond excited.

[00:02:55] Not once did I think about calling my mom or asking her to take me. I also didn't think once about the danger I would be putting myself in. The guy walked out with a plan to come back and pick me up at 1.

[00:03:09] At that moment, my 16-year-old boyfriend walked up to me and asked what the guy wanted. I told him confidently, I'm going to be famous. To sum it up, my boyfriend was not impressed. He literally lost his mind.

[00:03:23] He said all of the things that I should have thought of. He reminded me that serial killers don't wear signs. My boyfriend also noted the white, windowless van that this guy drove away in. We all know that stereotypical murder van.

[00:03:39] My boyfriend warned if I ran to that van, I'd be coming out in a garbage bag. He said everything that he could say in an effort to scare me out of leaving with this guy. All of my boyfriend's efforts failed. My naivety won.

[00:03:55] I thought for sure that he was wrong and that this guy was harmless and he truly saw some hidden potential in me. He could tell that he was fighting a losing battle, so he thought quickly and went to our manager.

[00:04:07] Our manager was a mom of five who put up with nothing from no one. She came charging out of the back room and tried to tell me how stupid I was being. She said that I should know that this is not safe.

[00:04:21] Meanwhile, I already had made my mind up that I was going to be a superstar. Let me be clear, I know how crazy this all sounds now. Anyway, my manager absolutely refused to let anything happen to me.

[00:04:36] She called her kids and said that she would be coming home an hour later so that she could stay and make sure that I didn't go with this man in the van. Before I knew it, one o'clock rolled around.

[00:04:48] I looked out the drive-thru window and like clockwork, there he was, looking out the window at me from the driver's seat of his white van. My boyfriend walked up to the window and asked the man what he wanted and the man said, I'm here to get Christine.

[00:05:05] My boyfriend walked away and went to get our manager. Our manager then charged up to the window yelling and swearing at the man in the van about what a sicko he was. She told him she was calling the cops if he stepped foot out of that van.

[00:05:21] It was at that moment that I realized the danger I almost faced because the creepy van guy peeled out of the McDonald's parking lot and never looked back. My boyfriend ran outside to try and write down his license plate number but of course

[00:05:35] this man didn't have a license plate on the van. All I know is, if his intentions were good, he never would have ran off like that. My mom always said good people don't talk to kids, they know better. I have never forgotten that sense.

[00:05:54] I'm thankful to my husband for truly saving my life and he's reminded me of that a few times and thanks to our manager who stood up to this man for a girl who needed to be saved.