I have had many interesting encounters with cab drivers in my life … for some reason, they just like to talk to me and tell me all their problems. Usually they’re from Nigeria or Afghanistan or Bangladesh and within 2 seconds of me getting in the cab, they start to chat me up and tell me how much they miss their homeland, and how their dear mother at home worries about them, and etc. etc. Maybe it’s something about my face.
But I need to describe what literally just happened. I will put it down word for word.
I got in a cab. Told him where I was going. At that moment, Billy Joel’s “Lights went out on Broadway” came on. I love that song and I have a very specific happy memory attached to that song … so I guess I visibly showed my happiness, and he saw it through the rear view mirror.
And here is what he proceeded to say to me – in a barely understandable Middle Eastern accent:
“Are you Irish?”
“Uh … well, of descent anyway. Yes.”
“You are a very beautiful woman.”
“Uh … wow … thanks!”
“You are a very beautiful woman. Very beautiful. You get hurt easily. You are very open. And you have a good heart. You have such a good heart … that you get along with everybody. You get. Along. With. Everybody!”
Suddenly it was as though I was getting my palms read. I did not say a word. He didn’t let me get a word in edgewise.
“You know what your only problem is? Your only problem is your attitude. You get mad very easily. Very easily. And when you get mad? I don’t want to talk to you.” (Suddenly, the whole thing started striking me as absolutely hysterical … it was as though he was about to get really mad at me … as though his fantasy of me was completely real – and he was about to start rattling off his pet peeves about my imaginary personality) “You always want things to go your way.” (This one I nearly balked at. That’s not true at all. But … I decided to not interrupt his monologue. It was too fascinating.) “But in spite of all of that … you are very beautiful, and you are going to have a very interesting life. Even though you get hurt too easily. Everyone who meets you loves you.”
As well as random cab drivers it would seem.
I actually got a little verklempt when he started waxing poetic about my good heart.
I don’t know what it is about my face … or who I am … but this encounter with the cab driver is not an anomaly. Nobody has ever started addressing me and my imaginary personality so directly before … but I have had times with cab drivers where, when he finally gets me to where I want to go, we sit in the car for a bit longer, chatting about the beauty of Bangladesh or whatever.
It’s hysterical.
as opposed to the drunk Lincoln Park boys who screamed…”Redheaded &%$$# bitch!!!”…people are never subtle when it coes to u!!!! That is an amazing story..ur racking them up lately eh???
Hey.. that’s premium rate stuff on the Tarot Card phone-lines..
Mitchell – yes. I seem incapable of generating a neutral response.
Instant love or instant hatred. That’s my game.
peteb – hahahaha Funny how I loved it when it was complimentary to my self-image and how I instantly disagreed when it went against my self-image. hahahaha I only want to pay for the good stuff!
mitchell – i still don’t know why those boys yelled that at me. i was just walking down the street wearing a derby. why did it piss them off so much???
Freakin’ derbys! God, how I HATE them! All round and bowler-like…who do they think they are? I even hate that restaurant; I’m GLAD it was torn down.
You wear derbys?????? Forget my college friends, what are WE doing Sunday? :P
also..the idea that we were in the “good” neighborhood and those boys were sooo horrible.
Mark … I think I have now discovered the identity of one of those awful boys. :)
Jon – hahahahaha
Damn my temper; I am scuttled. Once again, screwed over by a derby. Oh, they’ll get their payback…soon…soon….
When I lived in Vancouver, NOBODY that knew me would walk in Gastown, day or night with me. Same weird thing going on… very confusing. I think it comes from being taught to be polite or something. If you figure it out, please let me know.
i always seem to have intense interchanges with cabbies, too. last night, coming from the airport to home at 2am, i gave my cab driver a lesson. he was talking on the phone and using realy derogatory term of talking about certain races. after like the eigth time he said a certain word, i in a post-marathon haze, was like, “WOULD YOU STOP USING HTAT WORD?? I FIND IT OFFENSIVE.” and he went on another diatribe. after he calmed down, i said (i must’ve seemed sooooo crazy, haha) how he is realy wasting his energy hating certain groups of people, and isn’t life to short to totally HATE one group of people without even knowing them? he then calmed down and said, “i am just scared, iguess.” BINGO, BUDDY.
hahaha siobhan – i love that he just broke down and admitted his fear. you wore him out!!