3:42 Monday Morning

Little to no sleep is the cabbie's common fate.  Today I will get approximately three hours before leaping up and getting ready to fly to Medford, my flight leaving just past 10:00 AM.  My just completed weekend was harrowing as Saturday morning, 7:15 AM 478's transmission began slipping in "Drive."  By 9:00 AM it is being looked at, and after getting an extra board cab at about 10:15 AM assured that it would be repaired by evening shift change, which is 4:00 PM.  That's when the situation became the unusual because it appeared that barely little had been done during the nearly six hour interval.  I was nearly speechless.  Were they really going to allow me to miss the entire night shift, making me, expressed in my own sour words "to eat it!?"

Being diplomatic, the best I can say is someone had a contrary motive.  Luckily an old and powerful friend happened to be at the garage and intervened on my behalf, ordering that it had to be done now.  I left to take a shower and have a quick snack.  Less than ninety minutes later  the transmission "that might not even be ready tomorrow" was installed and 478 was ready to go.  All this was and is very strange.

My first post-repair "bell" was a musician in need of assistance.  Needing to transport his huge acoustic bass and amps, he proclaimed "I was a genius" getting it all in.  No, just experienced, that's all.

Finally arriving at 3rd and Bell it was over $50.00 on the meter and, what a surprise, a $150.00 tip.  I told him no, it was too much but he insisted I take it, second largest tip in my 25 years on the taxi road. Madness and madness equalling to I am one very tired person.  Good night!  I am ready for some greener surroundings.  And that my friends, is a mild understatement.