I cried reading tis...
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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, 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, 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 heldonto me tightly.

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said.
"Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, 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.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here
we might as well dance. Every morning when I open my eyes, Itell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, everybreath truly is a gift from God.

A friend walks in when
everyone else walks out!

3/02/2006 01:14:00 PM ·

the endless submissions are finally over. there's a great rush of freedom wif a mixture of disappointment. felt tt i cld do better... i've not met the expectation set on my own. i've disappointed myself, n tt feels worse than disappointing anione else. nevertheless, i shld look forward yes? its itp nxt. cant wait.... wonder wad they'll make me do.. n if i can cope wif the working environment alone since no one frm the course is of the same company as me. hopefully politics does not appear too strong amngst em... its a real killer.. been thru it.

after submission n b4 itp is partying! so far my days are all packed, going out every single day. today's meeting up wif both my dance grps. first is social dance for dinner... den rushing down to clarke quay for MOS wif dance n cheer. man... money running dry. eeks.

i miss my baby.

3/02/2006 11:32:00 AM ·