Today’s post is about……yep another journal! This one I actually found, a nice black leather Moleskine pocket journal! I did contact the person it belonged to, they had only used one page, and listed their name and an email. I sent them an email stating I had found it and three years later I still have not heard from them….Dufresnes party of two….has anyone seen the Dufresnes…who can eat at a time like this, the Dufresnes are missing….and if you do not get that reference you are a sad little person.
So after about a month of not hearing from the owner I took it an put it in my car, it was going to be a journal for anything note worthy during my driving job. I started driving part time for an app based taxi service (Uber and Lyft ) back in 2016. I am not sure about the legal ramifications of putting my passengers dirty laundry out here so lets just say I am a Taxi Dork or TD for short. I will change the names, dates, locations and even embellish a few details for story telling purposes but for the most part what I am going to share did happen. Please keep in mind when you get in my car, you are MY entertainment!
I will share three stories from the road journal today, these stories are not works of fiction. As time goes on I will share more of these, there are too many to plop out all in one post. On with the first post of the Road Journal Story Time:
Story #1:
While out and about I was driving through a generic nondescript downtown area and I saw a guy walking down the sidewalk. Nothing out of the ordinary but you could see that he was drunk or high. He had that thousand yard stare and very stiff movements, but then I saw the one thing that made this a true spectacle….in his left hand he had a fist full of uncooked lasagna! I tried my best to get his attention just to see if he would even register what planet he was on, but sadly he was locked in the throws of a pasta night daydream. He walked on like an Olive Garden solider, left, left, right, left….oh shit did you see that plumber stomp the crap out of that turtle!
Story 2:
Out driving one day and I ended up in the hills of fuck nowhere-ville San Jose and I get a ping from a possible passenger. I say possible because there are all kinds of things that can happen between the ping and your cheeks gracing the fabric of the car of awesome. But any-who, I am driving through the hills of San Jose and as I turned a corner, I see a small group of people just standing in the street. There was even a guy kneeling down on the grown holding up his phone, he was either taking a picture or a video of something. So, I rolled on up and go around this strange man….and then I saw it….the biggest fucking spider I have ever seen, just crossing the street! I swear it was as big as a soft ball! I would have loved to have gotten out of my car and gone over and used the guy kneeling down, inches away from this nightmare inducing creature, like a club and kill it before it reproduces! But I had a passenger waiting for me and with a little bit of luck we would be driving far far away!
Story 3:
I will finish off this post with one of favorite stories of alcohol, gambling and very poor life choices.
There I was out doing my duty, trying to earn some extra money doing my Taxi Dorking. I get a ping, just around the block from where I was parked, at the casino. Most of the pick ups I get here are from people that work here, but this night was going to prove to have a bit more spice! The second he got in I knew this was not going to go as planned. He literally jumps in and then jumps out mumbling something about his cellphone being in the casino. He returns just a few seconds later with his cellphone in hand and gets in the back. I confirm his name and the address I was dropping him off at, drunks have a tendency of just getting into any car. That has never happened to me but I have heard some stories about that from other drivers.
Now to add just a pinch more of ‘Dear Gawd’ to this story the ride was to be a Shared Ride event. This is where cheap asses share their ride with other strangers going in the same ‘general’ direction. You get a cheaper price for their ride when using this option. For the record, drivers LOVE these type of request!…Just to clarify we do not. Well I do not. If you send a request for a shared ride, I will not wait any more than the required time before I am allowed to cancel, collect my fee, and bounce. No hard feelings, you get 5 minutes to come out. No soup for you! If you send for a regular request I will go out of my way to find you, call you, even get out of my car if I see you need help. But shared, you get five minutes and we (or me) are out!
Back in the car of awesome we have this rather intoxicated man rolling around in the back seat, nothing really going on until he decides to face-time his girlfriend. Just as hi does this I get another request to pick another single serving friend! Now, this guy is in a suit, sober as a judge and looks about as square as square can be. He is about to serious regret his decision to go cheap on this ride.
Here is the dialog from the Casino Man and his soon to be ex girlfriend:
(Keep in mind this is on Face-Time on his phone and at full volume)
Casino Man: Hey baby whats up?
Girl: WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!
Casino Man: I….I am *urp* in the taxi coming home, where are you?
Girl: I just got home from WORK and you were supposed to either be home or out looking for a FUCKING job! Where have you been?
Casino Man: Ah baby I got bored and went to the casino….
Girl: WHAT…with what money!!! Dont tell me you just spent our rent money on booze and gambling!
Casino Man: What, are you talking about I will pay you back
Girl: You have no MONEY and NO JOB *incoherent screaming and cursing in Spanish filled the next 20 seconds or so*
Casino Man: Baby, I dont know why you you you are so mad, I should be the one that is mad. The only reason I went out was because I thought you were cheating on me.
Girl: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! *More screaming and cursing, not sure what language was being used at this point, it was pure anger in its rawest form at this point*
It was about at this moment I came to his stop, and he staggered out and I gunned it! I did not want to be there when his girl sent him into the next life ass first. As all of this was unfolding the other guy, who was sitting in the front seat, did not move a muscle. It looked like had gone into shock or something, he was so far out of his comfort zone I swear he was seconds from jumping out of the car. I pulled up to his stop just a few minutes later and he gets out without a word. No words ever came out of the suit. I really wished he would have said something but after thinking about it his silence. It would have made it that much more entertaining for me. The second he was out of sight I bust out laughing, and this is why I do this. Yes I love the money but you cannot make up this shit!
I have more stories but lets just say that is enough for now.
So till next post; journal often, journal more and take pictures of everything.