Dorsai - Taxi

When they're out of sight, I get back in my cab and find a spot to park where I can watch the door of the place. I've got a little radio that I can listen to so I don't get too bored; one thing you learn real quick driving cabs is how to wait without falling asleep.

It's maybe half an hour before I see the two of them coming out the door. I flash my headlights so they can see where I am, and get over to where they are so I can help them in again. Once I'm back behind the wheel, "Mom" tells me where the next stop is. As I'm getting us there, I keep looking into the back every so often; I realize that I had probably estimated their ages a bit high – in good light, the younger looks sixteen, maybe seventeen. For the mother, I revise her age down by a good five years, with an option of a couple more.

When we get to the second place, the lighting is a lot better, and I get a real good look at the two of them – and promptly start having fantasies involving them, me, and a gallon of Wesson oil…

Even as my mind is writing a script for a porno movie involving me and them, the front part of my brain is taking care of business. Once they're inside, it's back in the cab for me.

The third place they decide to go, they're inside for quite some time; when they finally do come out it's coming up on midnight. I see that there's a guy with them – except that from the way they're acting, I don't think he's all that welcome. I make sure and get over to where they are a little faster, get out, and open the cab door for them. They get in real quick, and after a second, the guy starts to follow them. I get in his way and say "Sorry, sir, but my deal is just for the ladies, tonight" while I close the door. I quickly get around to the drivers side, and after I open the door, tell him "Perhaps you could join the ladies at their next stop…"

He's visibly drunk, so I've got time to get behind the wheel and get us moving before he can get his wits together enough to say anything. I was out of the parking lot and heading down the street when "Mom" tells me "Thank you; that was very nicely done. He's a friend-of-a-friend, and not someone that I would normally want to associate with. I tried to get rid of him, but he simply wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. But how did you know he wasn't welcome?"

I see her watching me in the mirror and answer "Ma'am, I've been driving cabs for a bunch of years now, and I've learned how to watch for things that might turn into problems. When you came out, the way you were walking and standing told me that you weren't… comfortable with him. Then when I pulled up, it looked like both of you were more than a little relieved to see me. When I stopped him from getting in, and you didn't tell me it was okay, I figured I'd read the situation right. If he knows where else you planned to go tonight, I'm thinking you might not want to go to those places."

She gives me a smile and says "I didn't tell him anything, but he might still be sober enough to think of the few places where I might go. I'm not quite ready to head back yet, though. Perhaps you could suggest a place that wouldn't mind having us? Just for an hour or two?"

I let her see me smile and answer "Ma'am, I expect you'd be welcome additions just about anyplace. If you're open to meeting some new people, and just looking to have a few drinks and have some fun, I know that the regulars in the place I usually go to for a drink or two would be glad to have you. Or I can just take you to one of the other places I know are having big parties tonight – it's up to you."

I see her smile back at me, and she says "If you're willing to vouch for the place and people, I think I could do a lot worse than your suggestion."

I nod my head, and get us headed that direction. When we get to the Shot Glass, I stop in front of the place – but before I can get out, the woman tells me "I don't think there's any need for you to wait outside, unless you want to. After your help back there, I feel like I owe you at LEAST a drink; and I think I can trust you to limit yourself to just the one."

I think it over for a couple of seconds, and figure it couldn't hurt. I tell her that if the two of them want to wait outside, I'll get parked and escort them in. She agrees, and before I can do it for her, opens the door and gets out, with the kid right behind her. Once she shuts the cab door, I hustle to find a parking spot and get back to them. When the three of us get inside, it's kind of like a scaled-down version of those scenes in the old TV program 'Cheers', when Norm shows up – except that instead of everyone calling out "Norm!", I've only got 3 or 4 welcoming me with "Jim!"

A couple of the barmaids come over to give me a hug and say they're glad I could stop by on Halloween; I start to introduce them to my fares, when the mother does it for me, so I learn that she's Helen Folks and the youngster is her daughter, Sarah. The barmaids, Alicia and Peggy, ask if I'm there to help them close the place, and I tell them that I still have to work so as to not let on that Helen and Sarah are actually my fares. Both girls look disappointed, but when I tell them that I figure I can stick around at least long enough to have ONE, they cheer up. Since they already know what I drink, Alicia asks Helen and Sarah what they want before she heads for the bar; Peggy says she'll fix us up with a table – something I didn't expect would actually happen.

The place is busier than usual, but it isn't the overcrowded madhouse that the more famous bars and clubs in town are that night; it's possible to get around inside without bumping into more than a couple of people going from one side of the place to the other. Peggy gets us over to a small table off to the side of the main action and tells a group of 4 youngsters that they need to move: the person that had reserved the table showed up; the reservation thing is a complete put-on, but the young folks are sloshed and mellow enough to go for it. They pick up their drinks and wander off; Peggy cleans the table off real quick and we sit down. A minute later, Alicia is back with our order. Helen comes up with a credit card (damned if I know where she could have been keeping it), and says "We'll start a tab, if you don't mind."

Alicia assures her that's fine, and leaves to get the bill started. She's back in just a couple minutes, and hands Helen her plastic; that's when I get to see that what I was pretty sure was costume was just that – and that it had a cleverly designed-in pocket.

The three of us barely had time to take a sip of our drinks before a couple of the other regulars showed up to say how glad they were I was able to make it to the party. I was able to make the introductions that time; Chuck, a retiree that was fitter than I was, offered to take Helen out for a tour of the dance floor. Lou, who was younger than me and owned his own music store, made a similar offer to Sarah. Both women accepted the offers, and the four of them disappeared into the crowd.

I'd finished my drink before they came back again; Helen and Sarah were both visibly flushed and perspiring slightly from their efforts. Chuck and Lou thanked them for the dances, and left us alone again.

About that time, Peggy turned up to take my empty drink glass and leave me a glass and bottle of club soda, telling me "When I told Mike that you still had to work tonight, he said to tell you that you're welcome to as many of these as you want – you shouldn't be one of the drunks that'll be out tonight."

I started to protest, but she just gave me a Look, turned around, and walked away. When I looked at Helen, I could see that she was both surprised, and quietly amused.

It was maybe ten minutes later when another guy I knew came over: Arty, who had some ill-defined job in the city planning office. After introductions, he asked if Helen was of a mind to do a little dancing; she was, and they did. A few minutes later, somebody closer to Sarah's age came up to ask if she wanted to dance, as well, which she did. For the next couple of hours, the two of them seemed to have a pretty good time, judging from their laughter and smiles. Enough people came by to take them out dancing that neither one had any reason to feel like some kind of wallflower, but they weren't constantly being hit on, either.