[Nancy-ID]

I got this today, thought it was nice


THE CAB RIDE

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. When I arrived at 2:30 a.m. ,
the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.

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 stood before me.
She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like
somebody out of a 1940s 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 where 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.

[AlArchie]

Thanks for the story, Nancy. Someday I hope there is a kind soul to drive me around. It may seem trivial, but sometimes it is extremely important for someone preparing to leave this world, to touch all the places they hold dear.

Shortly before my mother died, she had taken a trip to visit with an old friend in Florida. She had never ventured far from her home in Upper Michigan, with only two exceptions...she went to Washington D.C. while my dad was serving in the Navy there during the Second World War. That was his second tour, as he had served in the Marine Corps in WWI.

Then my brothers talked her into a trip to Banf, that was memorable.

Now the jist of my ramblings; while she was in Florida she suffered a heart attack and two minor strokes. She was well enough to fly home, but seemed really lost, when I took off work to see her home. What she did ask was to be driven around the county, to her old childhood home, the studio where she and my dad built their photography business, to the church that sustained her through some very tough times and several of the surrounding towns where friends had lived. As we toured, she related episodes of her life to us, and seemed to regain most of her old enthusiasm. Finally, she said that she wanted to go home. So home we went. She was totally lucid and felt better than she had in years. After a day or so Karen and I returned to our home up the road a piece. A few days later, on her wedding anniversary, my cousin called to tell us she had passed away.

It seemed she needed that drive to reconnect with her life which seemed slighly muddled by the strokes. Once she had made those connections, it was time.

anyway, thanks for the story!

Al

[Kenny_S]

WOW Nancy and AL, Two amazing and moving stories. Thanks for sharing.
Lest we forget our elderly also!

[Anthony Filetti]

These are truly interesting stories, I'm sure if we wree better listeners we would find there are a lot of people out there with a lot more stories.

If we all stop and think about how many people we come in contact with each day and how this contact affects there day we probably would live in a better world. Its what is known as common courtesy...

[Kenny_S]

You are so right Tony. I wished now that I had listen to my Grandparents more than I did when they were alive. Memories lost.

[Nancy-ID]

Al, thank you for your story. You gave your mom her "little moment of joy".

[santagibbs]

Wonderful stories Nancy and Al, We tend to think of the world now, as callas and cold but when times call for it .. We realize that there are wonderful caring people there and in all walks of life..Thank's Charlotte

[stickman]

What a great story ,many life lessons in it .

thanks for sharing