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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA sweet lesson on patience. . .
A NYC Taxi driver wrote:
. . .
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up 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, 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 to be 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 a 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 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.bWhat if that woman had gotten an angry driver,bor 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.
_ _ _ _ _
Snopes has verified this story as true: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/cabride.asp
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)MineralMan
(146,192 posts)Thank you.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)cbayer
(146,218 posts)loudsue
(14,087 posts)Thanks for posting that.
babylonsister
(170,964 posts)panader0
(25,816 posts)I love old ladies and old men too. They deserve much more respect than they get in our society.
K & R
riverbendviewgal
(4,251 posts)I have been thinking of my late son today....and he was a beacon of kindness and light...He really cared for people...I could see him doing this for this little old woman...
There are wonderful people in this world...Thank you for give me this story today.
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)dhill926
(16,234 posts)So much to learn from this. Thanks for posting.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Brigid
(17,621 posts)That a person needs to work a year as a bartender and another as a taxi driver -- only then can he or she consider themselves truly educated. Incredible story.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,308 posts)But I read it again anyway.
It never gets old. Respect and caring are such great things. This driver showed his true heart towards that beautiful old lady...
Thank you.
Oh, and one thing: I hadn't known it's true. I am so glad it is.
Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Thanks for the thread, ProfessionalLeftist.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)....we will ALL be taking that Taxi Ride some day.
TODAY, we have a chance to do something that we can recall with comfort and satisfaction during our Taxi Ride.
This Taxi Driver just added one to his list.
duhneece
(4,105 posts)And you blessed us by sharing the gift Life/God/fate gifted you with. Thank you.
rug
(82,333 posts)Not to be a douchebag.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)but it is still a wonderful and heartwarming tale.
Spazito
(49,765 posts)Thank you for posting it, very powerful, very moving.
"But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one." So true.