THE CAB RIDE
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. One night I
took a fare at 2 :30 am , when I arrived to collect, the
building was dark except for a single light in a ground
floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers
would just honk once
But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended
on taxis as their only means of transportation.. Unless a
situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door.
This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I
reasoned to myself.
So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a
minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear
something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her
80's s tood before me. She was wearing a print dress
and a pill box hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody
out of a 1940's movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase The apartment
looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the
furniture was covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or
utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the
woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing',
I told her. I just try to treat my passengers the way I would
want my mother treated.'
'Oh, you're such a good boy,' she said. When
we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked,
'Could you drive through downtown?'
'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said, 'I'm in
no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.'
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were
glistening. 'I don't have any family left,'
she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very
long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She
showed me the building wher e she had once worked as an
elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her
husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me
pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once
been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a
particular building or corner and would sit staring into
the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she
suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now.'
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It
was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a
driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up.
They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the
door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into
her purse.
'Nothing,' I said.
'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost
without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto
me tightly.
'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,'
she said. 'Thank you.'
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning
light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the
closing of a life
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I
drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that
day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten
an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his
shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once,
then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done
anything more important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve
around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully
wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU
SAID ~BUT~ THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM
FEEL.
BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS !!!!!
