Taxi Vignettes

Last December I picked up a woman who had a most extraordinary European business trip. I'll call her Ella. Her trip started out routinely enough. Everything was going as scripted. What Ella hadn't planned on was two days of the bizarre.

Ella was sitting at the front end of a rail car on a high-speed train that was nearing Zurich, when without warning there was a flash followed by a deafening bang. She feared her hearing might be nearly lost. It took hours for the pain to subside. Had she been riding in the car just ahead, surly she would have been injured or killed. She was happy to be alive. She later found it odd that there was no mention of the incident in the news, local or otherwise.

That next day in Zurich, though still shook up, Ella managed a successful meeting. She was looking forward to retiring to her hotel room to enjoy a nice hot shower, but it wasn't to be. One of the men coerced her into having dinner with his girlfriend. The businessman insisted that he would 'seal the deal' if Ella would have a night out with his girlfriend, for she was desperate for a woman's company; she needed someone to share girl talk with.

Around eight that night an exhausted Ella found herself in a five star restaurant with the girlfriend, a Paris Hilton look-alike. On entering the room the girlfriend caused diners to stop mid-bite and the wait staff to scurry about.

They had barely been seated at the table when the girlfriend with tears in her eyes began to tell Ella her, up to that point, life story. She had been born into great wealth, which she said was for the most part from oil money. She hated it. The damned dirty oil had murdered her mother. Actually her stepfather had murdered her mother over the oil riches. She just knew it! She stopped just long enough, while wiping her nose, to order dinner.

Abruptly, the girlfriend stood up and announced she needed some air, and walked out. Ella said she welcomed the chance to be alone. Since boarding the train the day before her life had felt unreal, as if she were acting out a part on a theater stage.

The girlfriend returned, but she wasn't alone. As she walked in with a man on each arm, two chairs were added to the table. The girlfriend explained to Ella, "These poor men need to eat!" They were strangers she had met while out for a smoke.

Eating four very expensive meals, Ella and the men heard more of the girlfriend's determination to bring to justice the stepfather who had killed her mother. Her sobs were soon all that was heard in the room. When the girlfriend realized that she was causing a scene she stood up, raised her glass and with an apology to the entire restaurant announced, "Dinner is on me!"

In Ella's driveway as I was taking her bags out of the back of the taxi she said, "Look at this." Ella had wrapped herself in a beautiful grey fur scarf. The girlfriend had insisted Ella might be cold on her way home.

Body Worlds 2 & The Three Pound Gem exhibit is in San José at The Museum of Innovation. I was asked by the Body Worlds people to do a pick up at SFO. The three men would be coming to California from Germany, and only one of the three gentlemen spoke a a bit of English.

At 7:30pm there I was at SFO, standing at the bottom of the escalator holding a sign with the three names, waiting for my customers. My imagination was conjuring up a vision of Albert Einsteins, so when two young guys resembling rock stars pointed at the sign, I thought they must be pointing to someone behind me. They indicated who they were by pointing to their names. The third guy? Somehow they managed to convey that their co-traveler was coming in later.

I directed them to carousel number two and excused myself. The lady in the baggage claim office entered the third guy's name into her computer and told me "Yes" he would be in at 10:30pm.

What, oh what, was I going to do with two young guys that had no idea how far away (40-miles) San Jose was. Standing in baggage claim with their bags on a cart, while I was making eating motions I asked if they were hungry.

Big smiles. One said, "Hamburgers?" I said, "Yes, hamburgers." The other one said, "McDonald's?" I said, "IN-N-OUT." I made like I was turning a steering wheel and said, "Let's drive." They echoed, "Let's drive!"

It took only about 20 minutes for them to order and scarf down two burgers each. Back in the taxi I suggested we go to a store. I heard, "A salon?" Oh dear. I drove them over to the nearest Longs. As soon as I pulled up, they bound out of the cab. I'm not sure what kind of 'salon' they were referring to, but Longs was a hit.

One of the fellows took off to the food isle, as the other guy started acting like a monkey. It hit me - he wanted deodorant.

With only thirty minutes left, I was waiting in a parking lot with two Germans, a bag of Otis Spunkmeyer's premium muffins, Evian bottled water, and deodorant. I had
reconciled myself for a long thirty minutes when I heard the cellophane rattle of the muffin wrapper. Ah for crumbs sake! I started the cab - I wanted to get the guy that got hung up, and get back to San Jose!

I got the three German lads to the hotel in San Jose at almost midnight. I found out the next day they would be setting up the bodies of Body Worlds.

I picked up a fare at SJC, and she asked if I would take her home. She said that she lived by Kelly Park just off of Senter Rd. It was just a typical ride until we got close to her condo complex. The street was lined with SJPD cruisers, and big orange cones were blocking our left turn. Car after car in front of me were being turned away. This was not an option for my passenger as it was her only way in.

Risking a severe reprimand, I drove toward the police officer as she was pointing me away from the street. As I explained our predicament she turned and looked over her shoulder at the motorcycle gang milling about up the road, and then back at me. I assured her I would be fine with driving in. She finally gave me the go ahead, but I could see the concern in her eyes, by saying,"Be very, very careful."

The road was made narrow by the numerous police cars parked barely off to each side. Other than that we made it to her home without noticing what would have the police in such a tizzy. I had no real problem getting her to her condo, but getting back out was another story.

As my fare settled into the taxi he let out a long sigh of relief. I asked him, "Need to get away?" My question led to a story of work and worry.

He told me that his company supplies Apple with components for the new iPhone. Getting ready for today, June 29, had taken him many worrisome hours of conference calls and meetings with the Apple elite. Though exhausted he said with enthusiasm, "This is so big." When I asked if he had an iPhone he said, "No, I have to buy one like everyone else."

He was on his way to Atlantic City for a much needed break, and where he could find one (iPhone) at a small obscure Apple Store. I laughed at that notion - an obscure Apple Store!

I drove away from the airport with a greater appreciation of the work that went into the iPhone production. I also learned the number of available iPhones. Think, 'Tickle Me Elmo!'

Hello iPhone

My busy day had been filled with nothing but predictable ho-hum runs to the airport, until I took that one last call...

I pulled up to the address as the door opened. A man and woman came out wearing what I guessed, correctly, were their dinner clothes. The gentleman was holding what looked to be several pieces of cardboard. They waved goodbye to the kids, who were bouncing up and down on a trampoline as the babysitter looked on. The dad said that they were going to Manresa, but first we needed to pick up another couple. Thus four well mannered upper class people going to one of the top restaurants in the world. This would be a profitable and civilized trip.

As their friends were getting into the taxi the man threw the cardboard over the back seat saying to the other guy, "We should wait until it gets dark."

In front of the restaurant I was asked if I would return for them at 10pm. The guys saying that they had some posters (the cardboard) to put up on the way home. Manresa is a lovely little restaurant praised around the world for its innovative menu. It must be outstanding because diners are reluctant to leave, or Chef David Kinch, is not one to be rushed. I knew in reality it would be much later than 10pm, but I had to see what they were planning to do with those posters.

A few minutes after 11:30 we were on our way to a neighborhood in Campbell. My passengers were feeling the drink that had accompanied their dinner, and searching for the illusive house that needed to be decked out in posters, was becoming comical. Suddenly one guy said, "This is it!" He asked me to pull around the corner. The other fellow thought for sure we were at the wrong house. I really hoped not.

As soon as I stopped the taxi the men burst out into the dark with the posters in hand. The women following just behind them, stepping gingerly through the flower beds in their high heeled pumps. Getting into the mood I was bringing up the rear with my camera. Nothing like a photo to document the deed.

Last night on ABC's American Inventor I saw contestant Steven J. Cousineau present his bike wheel covers to George Foreman and the other judges. This morning I was talking with him in San Jose.

Though the show turned down his invention he hasn't given up hope.

Check my post on Metroblogging San Jose