MORE THAN FARE
SEVERAL YEARS AGO ON A WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOT TOO LATE TO HOPE
FOR A FEW MORE FARES BEFORE THE DEAD HOURS, I WAS DOING A
24-ON-24-OFF IN MY YELLOW CAB. THAT SHIFT WORKED WELL FOR ME
AS LONG AS I COULD FIND A CO-DRIVER WITH AN ADJUSTABLE BIO-CLOCK
LIKE MINE.
MY NEXT CALL WAS AT A 7-11. WHEN I PULLED IN THERE A FEW MINUTES
LATER, HE WAS THERE BY THE PAY PHONES. HE WORE WHITE TENNIS SHORTS
AND A SHIRT TO MATCH. IT WASN'T COLD THAT FALL EVENING, BUT IT WAS
A BIT COOL. HE DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND, THOUGH; IN FACT HE WAS IN A
GOOD MOOD. HE GAVE ME A DESTINATION A LTTLE OVER 3 MILES DOWN
THE ROAD.
HE TOLD ME HE'D HAD AN ARGUMENT WITH HIS WIFE, AND HAD LEFT.
THE POLICE WERE INVOLVED AT SOME POINT, BUT HE WASN'T TOO CLEAR
ABOUT THAT, EXCEPT TO SAY HE'D SNORTED A WHOLE BAG OF COKE RIGHT
IN FRONT OF A COP. I DIDN'T ASK FOR DETAILS. THAT EXPLAINED
HIS GOOD MOOD.
MY MOOD IMPROVED AS WELL WHEN I SAW HIM DROP A FIFTY OVER THE
SEAT AS I DROVE. "WILL THAT GET ME THERE?", HE ASKED. "OH, YES,",
I SAID. A MINUTE LATER, AS I WAS ABOUT TO BRING UP THE SUBJECT
OF CHANGE, HE DROPPED ANOTHER FIFTY. WHEN I SAID "THANK YOU
VERY MUCH", MEANING EVERY WORD OF IT, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN
A SLIGHT HINT OF DISBELIEF IN MY VOICE.
PERHAPS HE MEANT TO ASSURE ME OF HIS GENUINE GENEROSITY WHEN HE
HANDED ME AN ADDITIONAL HUNDRED. IT WORKED. SINCE HE WAS ON
THE OUTS WITH HIS WIFE, HE WAS GOING TO SEE HIS GIRLFRIEND,
THOUGH SHE WAS NOT EXPECTING HIS VISIT. I SILENTLY HOPED THAT
WENT WELL, SO AS NOT TO SPOIL HIS POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
AS WE ENTERED THE PARKING LOT OF HER APARTMENT, HE SAID HE WOULD
LIKE ME TO COME IN WITH HIM AND TALK WITH THE TWO OF THEM AWHILE.
I WASN'T TOO SURE ABOUT THAT, BUT I WAS FEELING RATHER GENEROUS
MYSELF JUST THEN, SO I AGREED. JUST IN CASE I MIGHT FEEL IMPOSED
UPON, THOUGH, HE HANDED ME ANOTHER HUNDRED.
I FOLLOWED HIM IN, AND THOUGH WE MIGHT HAVE AWAKENED HIS
GIRLFRIEND, SHE DID NOT SEEM TO MIND, DESPITE THE FACT THAT
HE WAS OUT OF COKE. THE THREE OF US SAT AROUND THE KITCHEN
TABLE FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES AND CONVERSED. AT ONE POINT HE
CASUALLY IMPLIED THAT HE WAS A SORT OF COURIER FOR AN
ORGANIZATION NOT CONNECTED WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
I DOUBT THAT WAS INTENDED TO IMPRESS ME. AS LONG AS THE BILLS
WERE REAL,(THEY WERE) I WAS IMPRESSED ENOUGH.
MY THEORY WAS THAT HE WAS A FINE HUMAN BEING WHO WAS
PERCEPTIVE ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE A GOOD DRIVER WHO DESERVED
A VERY GOOD TIP.
--captain rat