Taxi Drivers

I was taking a cab back home today from the bus station, and the cab driver was telling me how as a student he’d bring mom all his laundry and she’d burn it all and cut him a cheque. I laughed appreciatively and thought of how much I like cab drivers.

I like the cab drivers of this town because they really like people. When they give me a ride for a few bucks and talk to me, they do so entirely without a sense of superiority or resentment – they do it because they happen to like the strangers in their backseat. So they ask sheepishly, “so, what do you major in?”

Once a cab driver actually gave me a ride for free because he felt bad for me, freezing my feet off, miserable, and trying to walk home without a wallet in the snow. “Cab drivers should help out a damsel in distress! Tip well the next time you’re in my car!” he said, and I seriously cried a little.