Story Weekend: The Taxi
I’m even giving you the title for your 100-word story this week! I’ll start it out with my own and hope you’ll join in.
If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve contributed. As always, there are a few “rules”:
▪ The story must be true
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge. Happy writing!
I left a party in New York City at midnight and was overjoyed to find a taxi. We sped off for my hotel and my joy turned to fear: my driver was a lunatic. Arms batting the air, he screamed nonstop about the sin happening on the streets around us. “Prostitution!” “Sex!” “Sexy women!” “Men with men!” “Women with animals!” “DIsgusting!” I was trapped with a crazy man. I was so relieved to see my hotel. The meter read 5.40. I had a twenty. He was still screaming about debauchery when I tossed the bill over the front seat and escaped. I think he’d found a creative way to get a good tip.
In the late 70s I accompanied a friend and her cat to New Jersey where she was to assume a new job. I was flying home via a visit with friends outside NY City (they would take me to the airport), but first I had to catch a cab from Penn Central over to Grand Central and to the train that would take me to their home. I had never hailed a cab in my life. A stranger finally hailed one for me, but as it turned out it was going the wrong way for Grand Central. I must have looked pitiful because the driver just smiled, did a U-turn on The Avenue of the Americas, asked where I was supposed to catch my train – I told him; he smiled again and said taxis were not supposed to enter that area, but he did it anyway, police whistles and all. I returned safely to my home in Georgia and to this day feel indebted to my Guardian Angel.
In my early 20’s & not knowing Spanish, landed at the crazy Acapulco airport & waited hours for my mom & sister, who were on another flight. Did not know who to trust but sought help from a cute man wearing designer jeans (it was the 80’s). Nice taxi ride to hotel with the man and a driver plus a tourist from Texas. Reunited safely with my sister, we went downstairs to meet a driver she knew from a previous trip and who was to take us sightseeing. Serendipity — same driver and his friend, Ramon, my rescuer in designer jeans.
I was with a group of friends (4) in front of Macys on our annual NY Christmas trip . It was late and we hailed a cab to take us to Times Square the vicinity of our hotel . We all piled in 3 in back 1 up front the can took off next thing we knew there we are in front of Macys – I said to the cabbie hey we are where you picked us up ? Just let us out your ripping us off you B . We threw him some money every one jumped out shut the doors – but woops we left the one in the middle if the back seat still in the cab ! She’s trying to get out the cabbie is screaming at us ! We all still laugh at our NY experience ! Now when we go we WALK !!!
HI Diane! My first time here. What a great idea. Yes, I have a taxi story, but sadly too long to put here. Wendela
Wendela, you’re a writer. I bet you could do it!
I just got home from work (walked), but my job is dispatching roadside assistance. The very last call i got was to dispatch a tire change for a taxi… whose driver hadnt provided an address in the original call. How hard to make him understand why no one had shown up yet.. you wont say where you are buddy! Turns out after much language barrier he was at the Chicago Ohare Airport which is ginormous and is hard to pinpoint his location on a map after squeezing the info out of him… good luck to anyone who gets the crotchety man as a taxi driver tonight, who spent over an hour of his shift waiting to get a flat changed!
Boy do I have stories to tell. I’ll try to keep it short. I’ll share my least favourite. I got sick in a cab one day on the way home from school. No idea why(i’ve mentioned this before) I just had lunch (not knowing that what ever I ate had onions) as soon as I had gotten upstairs from taking the stairs I got a dizzy spell. I almost didn’t make it to the classroom. so I tell the teacher im leaving going to the nurse, no nurse that day. so i got some money from ATM and called a cab. all of the sudden i knew i was about to get sick but i couldn’t talk and the next thing I know i got sick in the cab. The driver stops the car makes me get out while he wipes it up a little and he’s getting mad at me? i couldn’t talk or do anything. I’m lucky he didn’t get back in the cab and leave me in the middle of no where. Since then i’ve had a few bad trips but mostly ok. I now take about 10 cab trips a week to various places. In the last week I’ve had 11 trips in total in just one week! some are round trips. Like to and from the gym or to church.