Dorsai - Taxi

I thought about what I wanted to say for a few moments before telling her "I wasn't trying to do anything to change you" – she interrupted to tell me "I know that" – "or make you feel like there was anything 'wrong' with you. All I was really trying to do was help you have a good time and enjoy our time together; and maybe, maybe, let you see that there was another way of thinking about things so that you could decide if there was anything about yourself that YOU wanted to be different. Maybe I held up a mirror so you could really see yourself, but it's still your choice as to how much of what you want to be different about yourself – if anything. I don't think I've given you anything; at best, all I did was help you find what was already inside you."

"Whether you think you've given me anything, or not, I know that you did. And I want you to know that I respect you, and love you, for it. I don't mean that I love you like I want to stay here with you forever, or anything like that; I've still got my family and home and job back in San Francisco. What I do mean is that I love you as someone that has given me a tremendous gift because you care about me – and that I care about you in the same way."

There wasn't anything I figured I needed to say to that, so I contented myself with giving her a kiss on top of her head, hugging her, and continuing to hold her in my arms.

We stayed like that for quite some time before I heard her say "As nice as this is" – "Yup!", I interjected – "I really do have to get back home today." She pulled away from me slightly so that she could look up into my face as she said "IF you think you can behave yourself, I'm willing to let you take a shower with me before I have to pack", with a smile.

I smiled back and answered "If I have to behave myself, is there really any point to taking a shower together? How about if I promise to mostly behave, instead?"

Her smile got even wider before she replied "Okay, I can live with that!"

Before she could move, I slid my hands down to hold the firm globes of her ass, and give them a little squeeze while looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She responded to the implied question by telling me "Okay, that's mostly behaving!" before easing herself off of me. I quickly followed her, and once both of us were standing, she led the way into the bathroom.

As she got the shower started and adjusted, and then as we we cleaning each other up, I behaved myself. Mostly.

Afterward, as she got her things packed, got the bedroom and kitchen straightened out. When she was done packing, we 'helped' each other get dressed, and I took her to the airport. Once I'd gotten her luggage unloaded and under the care of a skycap, she turned to face me and say "Thank you again, Jim, for everything" before pulling my head down and giving me a kiss that left no doubt in my mind just how much she cared for me. I could see a small tear in her eye before she turned and headed into the terminal to get her ticket and catch her flight.

Back in my cab, I took a few moments to think back over the previous few days, and marvel at all that had happened.

As I was making my way out of the airport, I got flagged down by a couple of women that had obviously just gotten into town. I stopped to take the fare, and after getting their luggage and them loaded into the cab, headed back into town. In the back, I could hear as the two of them exchanged stories about their respective husbands shortcomings – particularly in the bedroom. I couldn't help but smile to myself the rest of the ride in…

It started out as a day pretty much like any other – but by the time I got home that night, I had an entirely new perspective on life.

I'd finished a late breakfast, and was headed in the general direction of one of the busier hotels in town when Dispatch called and let me know that the Central Hotel had asked for me – by name.

Now, I've been driving a hack long enough that I get calls like that: word has gotten around to all the better hotels that I'm somebody that can be relied on. I've never upset a fare, I'm invariably polite and helpful, cooperative as all get-out, and all that kind of stuff. As a consequence, I've gotten more than my share of good fares, some truly outstanding tips, and had a lot of 'interesting' experiences. But absolutely nothing in my career driving a cab prepared me for what happend that day.

When I got to the Central, the doorman is watching for me, and as soon as I pull up he comes out and tells me "Find a spot to park, Jim, and come on in. The manager wants to talk to you for a minute before your fare comes down."

Okay, different, but not too much so; I get my rig parked, and once I'm inside, one of the desk clerks I know, Susie, gets on the phone to let the manager know I'm there. She listens for a few seconds, then points back to where his office is, letting me know he wants to talk to me there. Again, different, but not outrageous. When I get to his office, I knock on the door and hear him say "Come on in, Jim."

I do, and once I'm inside, he stands up and shakes my hand, telling me "I'm glad you got here as soon as you did. I've got a little bit of a problem, and I can sure use your help with it."

Now, usually, this guy is polite enough to me, but I can't remember him ever talking all friendly to me like he is now, so immediately I start to wonder what the hell is going on, and what I'm getting into. As if he's reading my mind, he tells me "I suppose you're wondering what's going on; I know the desk calls you often enough, but I know you've never been back here in this office before. So let me lay it out for you: one of our guests – that is, one of our more, uh, affluent guests – is in town for the next couple of days. Tomorrow, she has an appointment at the Stovald Clinic, but today she's just been staying up in her room, which is fine with us, of course. The problem is that she's decided that she wants to go out and do some shopping. Usually, when she comes to town like this, she lets us know ahead of time so that we can make the appropriate arrangements – but this time she didn't, and we've been caught short. You see, she was in a car accident that left her with some spinal cord damage; while we'd normally have a special vehicle and driver reserved for her to go out with, we didn't this time. None of the other places in town has a vehicle available, and she has simply refused to let one of our staff drive her in one of ours. She's a bit on the feisty and stubborn side, so the best we could manage was for her to agree to be driven in a cab. She's a very special guest, even aside from her medical problems, so we want to make sure that she's properly taken care of – which is why we called you."

He paused then, and had one of the staff bring us in some coffee before he continued "Those of our guests that we've called you for before have been quite uniform in their praise of you, so I don't have any doubt that you would do your best with this guest, as well. The reason I called you in here, really, is to try and give you a little, ah… forewarning about this particular guest. As I already said, she's somewhat feisty and stubborn; someone that didn't know her as we do might even say that she was… difficult."

I'm thinking that if this guy is willing to be buddy-buddy with me, and talk about a guest like he is, it's likely that this woman can be more than just 'difficult' – more like a royal pain in the ass, I'm figuring. He just confirms my suspicions when he tells me "In light of how this guest may behave, I want you to know that in addition to whatever fare is on the meter when you return her here, you will get that same amount as a tip from us. That will be yours, whether she chooses to tip you as well, I might add."