Last Fare of the Day
Posted January 1, 2014 at 5:52 am by Tim Dustrude
Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference – A NYC Taxi driver wrote…
Photo credit – www.elderhelpers.org
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.’
Photo credit – www. elderhelpers.org
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. 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.
Thanks to Elderhelpers.org for this story
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Categories: Around Here
11 comments:
11 comments...
What a wonderful story!!! I’m glad that I took the time to read it and now I will remember to slow down more often for these wonderful moments in life!
Thank you for posting it Tim!!
Thanks Tim – we all need a gentle reminder that we are really on this beautiful planet to love and be compassionate to all that cross our paths. So many lost moments due to our rushing through our life – not being aware and conscious of those simple things in life. A great story to begin the New Year with an open heart!
Thanks
Wow… Didn’t take too long into the story, then I needed a tissue. Thank you for posting it… If only everyone was this kind and thoughtful.
Very touching story. I’m glad I took the time to read it too.
Thanks for posting, Tim!
Sad and lovely at the same time. My eyes filled with tears after only a few sentences. We truly need to be more aware of others and give the gift of our time and compassion.
I loved this story. Very touching. Thank you for sharing it Tim.
A very touching story, Tim. Thanks for posting. It’s not often that I get to read something as compassionate and visceral as this. This article reminds me that the very old, and the very young, the most vulnerable among us, do catch us unaware with moments of insightful sharing. We’re usually just not on the right vibration most of the time to hear them.
It would be easy to imagine yourself in the story, as the driver or as the passenger. The message is plain–we all need each other, we all can take time to be kind. We will not always have the opportunity to be so kind so don’t miss the chance to do it the best way the first and only time.
Tim, the cab driver reminds me of you and your kindness!
Hi Tim,
A story which reminds us to examine our priorities of time and recognize the ability we each have to create beautiful moments of life for others – which unexpectedly can be gifts to ourselves. Thank you for printing it. Emily
Well said Emily. Wonderful story.
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