Read this in DM...
A Cab Ride:
A cab ride:
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After
waiting a few minutes 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 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox
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, and 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 in soft voice. '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 where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We
drove through the neighbourhood 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 they 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 ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
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