A sweet lesson on patience.
A NYC Taxi driver wrote
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.'
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.
Let's remember old people need love and patience too.
The world is out to save the children..
I say let them cry, they will get over it...
 |
Shut up.. shut up shut up!
I don't care what you want.. and you are not as wonderful as your parents think you are! |
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See how quiet he is?
And if you bother to ask, I bet he has some pretty good stories. |
