The Cabbie’s Creed

I took a cab home last night, after my weekly 6 Feet Under date with Jen. It was late. I had had to wrench myself away from Risky Business (“I want my egg back!”) because I had to get home.

The cab shows up. My cabbie was blatantly smoking. I got in, and we started back to my place.

The radio was on, blaring Olympics commentary.

We drove through the rain in companionable smoky silence.

But suddenly – out of nowhere – he became irate. He shared his feelings with me. Gesturing irritatedly at the radio. “Listen to this! The radio! I hate the radio!”

I wasn’t sure if it was a general comment, or if he was pissed at the Olympics for pre-empting his favorite show.

I took the safe route. “You do?”

He shouted, “Yes! You never hear good music on the radio anymore! It’s all crap!”

I said, “I agree with you.”

Then he said, in a different tone, “Well … except for stations that play 70s music. That stuff is always good.”

Suddenly I felt deep love for this angry man. “Oh yes. Music from the 70s will always be in style.”

He looked at me through the rear view, excited to be in the presence of a soulmate. “Right?? Isn’t it?? Why can’t they play more of THAT? I can’t even LISTEN to the radio anymore!” (meanwhile, he’s shouting above the Olympic commentary … on the radio …)

I said, “I never listen to the radio. They just play the same songs over and over.”

“So true! I mean – it’s all CRAP on the radio. Every station is CRAP! I mean – listen to this.”

He switched the station. Disco music filled the car. He softened a bit. “Well … no … now that’s some good sound.”

He switched the station again. Bob Marley filled the car. “Well … reggae’s great, actually. I love reggae.” His plan to show me all the crap on the radio was failing.

He switched the station again. Creed came on. Now I personally hate Creed. But Creed apparently filled the cabbie’s heart with happiness.

He raved, happily, “I mean, listen to that – listen to that song! They understand melody! Nobody understands MELODY anymore!”

He stopped his search for all of those terrible radio stations out there, and we careened up the hill to my house, blasting Creed. heh heh heh

When I got out, I said, “Maybe you should just stay on this station from now on. Since there’s so much crap out there.”

He laughed, all blissed out because of Creed. “I think I will!”

The human comedy. I love it. At all times.

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5 Responses to The Cabbie’s Creed

  1. Creed may be the worst band on Earth, but if it’s between them and listening to the US lose to Puerto Rico in basketball, then I choose Creed.

  2. Redheaded Bliss

    I know I don’t say it enough on my blog but I think it nearly everyday; Sheila O’Malley GETS IT. I told her that today, too. I LOVE visiting her blog because it makes my brain happy. Her passion for…

  3. Dave E says:

    Haha….what a lovely, sad, funny anecdote. I’ve lived my share too and have also wondered how often I’ve been the “Cabbie”.

    “When I got out, I said, “Maybe you should just stay on this station from now on. Since there’s so much crap out there.””

    So was that Grace or Irony or both? :)

  4. Patrick says:

    Sheila, your posts about your human interactions always confirm something a college friend once told me. (She is now Sr. Mary Rachel, by the way.)

    “The secret to life is talking to people.”

  5. red says:

    I think it was both grace and irony. I just thought it was so funny, and so cute that he kept bitching about how terrible radio was, and then no matter what station he turned to, he loved the song. It was so sweet!

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