Dorsai - Taxi

Once we were back in my cab, I told her "I've known the waitress we had for some time now. I wasn't going to say anything in there, but you might be interested to know that she's getting close to getting a law degree – after getting away from an ex-husband that used to beat her, and abuse their two daughters. He came home drunk one night, beat the hell out of her, and was headed for the bedroom where the two kids slept when she nailed him in the head with a cast-iron skillet. She got the kids and some clothes together, and hid out in an abused women's shelter until the divorce was final. First place she had of her own was a one bedroom dump in the worst part of town, but she got a job and started getting her feet back under herself. That was ten years ago, and she graduates college the semester after next."

Katherine sat there quietly for a few seconds before asking "How do you know all that?"

"I give free rides to the shelter to women that need it, and she was one of them. After she got her divorce, we became friendly – as in friends, I mean. She used to talk to me about all the crap that happened to her and the kids, and I kind of helped her understand that none of it was anything that she should be ashamed of. With her and the kids being all alone and not having anything at first, she was in pretty bad shape, and I stayed with her, as a friend she could talk to, through it. She's getting government help with her tuition, but pays for all her books and other stuff herself from what she makes there – on top of taking care of her kids and everything else, of course."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"So that you know that that oversize tip you left is actually going to do something to help someone that deserves it."

"But why?"

"You told me at lunch that you spend a lot of time being bored. I'm letting you know that you don't have to be bored; there are plenty of things that you could do that would not only help fill up your day, but actually accomplish something. You said that you have an 'ungodly' amount of money, and that it makes you wonder about the motives of some of the people you meet. Why not use some of the money that you don't need to help people like that woman in there? Did I mention that the lowest GPA she's had has been 3.51? And she plans to work helping other abused women when she graduates? If I'd asked, she'd have been glad to show you pictures of her girls; they're both pretty as they could be, smart, and good kids – neither one has ever been in trouble at school, or with the cops. If you've got so damn much money that you have to worry about the kinds of guys you're meeting while you kill time, how about doing something to change all that?"

Katherine considered that for several seconds before quietly telling me "I think it's time I got back to the hotel, now."

Neither one of us said anything on the trip. When we got there, I helped her out of the cab, and then hurried to get the one package that she had out of the trunk. I was waiting to see what she wanted me to do with it when she reached out and took it from me and started for the door. She was just a couple of steps away when she turned and said "James? Would you be good enough to come up to my room? I think I'd like to talk with you a little more."

The doorman heard her, and after she'd gone inside, he gave me a look of curiosity; I simply shrugged my shoulders and got back in my rig to go find a place to park it. I'd just gotten inside the lobby when the night manager spotted me and came over to me. I figured I might have some explaining to do, but he said "I know it wasn't your idea to come in here, Jim. Ed" – the doorman – "told me that Mrs. McGreevy said that she wanted you to come up, so I figure that whatever the hell you did today, she was happy about it. So there isn't going to be any trouble about you being in a guests room."

"Thanks. I gotta admit, I was a little worried about it."

"No need, Jim. We aren't going to hold it against you if a guest wants you upstairs – particularly her. Just try not to mess things up now, okay?" – that last with a grin.

"Not if I can possibly help it!", I assured him, before heading for the elevators.

I'd been told she was in their best suite, and I knew where that was, even though I'd never actually been in it myself. The elevator got me to the top floor, and the name of her suite was right there by one of the half-dozen doors on that floor.

I knocked softly, and it was only a few seconds before the door opened to show her standing there. Seeing me, she stepped aside and invited me in. Once I was, she closed the door behind me, and then led the way into the living room area. I accepted the glass of wine she offered me, then took a seat on the opposite end of the couch that she led us to.

We'd each taken a couple sips of our wine when she told me "I have to admit, that was some story you gave me in your cab after dinner, James."

"Katherine, it wasn't a story – it's the truth."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean 'story' that way. No, I meant it was something hearing about all that woman has been able to accomplish after all she's been through. But what really surprised me was what you had to say about me, and my life."

"I hope you'll forgive me, but it was something I figured needed to be said."

"What do you mean?"

"Even before lunch, I could see that you were mostly just going through the motions at those different places. I mean, sure, they had nice stuff, and you bought some of it, but it seemed to me like you weren't really involved. I've been out shopping with girlfriends and other women, and even when they're just looking, they're a whole lot more interested than you were. Then when you told me that you spend a lot of time just looking for something to do, and about the guys you meet and everything… well, it just seemed to me that somebody needed to point out to you that there were ways of solving those kinds of problems."

"And what made you think you could say something like that to me?"

"Well, after a good meal like that, you seemed to be in a fairly receptive frame of mind; I didn't figure it was too big of a chance. And like I told you, it seemed like something that needed to be said."

She looked at me contemplatively for several seconds before saying "Well, you were right. My life has been pretty empty since my husband died, and it was something that needed to be said. When you told me that you'd been a philosophy major, but dropped out, I have to admit that I thought that it was just because you were someone that got bored with studying; I wasn't quite ready to believe what you said about your reasons. But after we were… intimate, the explanation you gave me simply made too much sense for me to think that you'd been anything but a good student. And when I started really thinking about what you'd said, I had to start thinking about everything else I've seen, and learned about you. Once I did that, it didn't take me long to realize that you really, truly are a philosopher, in the classical sense of the word."

I nodded my head in acceptance of the compliment she'd just given me, and she went on "On the ride back here, I was thinking about what I want to do to change my life. I've got a few things that I think I'd be interested in doing, but I expect that it would be to my benefit to get some input from you before I start throwing money and time at them and possibly wasting both. Then when we're done with that, there's something else I'd like you to do for me – but I want to save that until we're done with this other part, first."

"I'll be glad to do whatever I can", I assured her.

She looked at me for a few seconds before standing up; I started to get up, too, and she gestured that I should stay where I was before telling me "Before we get too far into this, I want to make sure and give you an appropriate gratuity for all you've done for me today."