Yellow Cab Stories for the Heart: Story 2 (10-2-2010)

Last night was an extremely busy night.  I had a ton of runs and made a good amount of money.  If I could make have that good of a night every night, worrying about paying my bills month to month would no longer be a problem.   I had a rich night and money wasn't the only form those riches came in.

I picked a gentleman up from the AmericInn in Coralville and took him to the Mercy emergency room to get a weird rash checked out.

We had a good conversation in those seven miles, mainly me asking all about him.  I came to find out that he was just stopping in Iowa for the night in a move to Montana near Butte.

He grew up in Montana and had a great childhood among the beautiful landscape and open skies.  It was rewarding to hear a man speak so fondly of his home and even more rewarding to see him longer to get back to it.

"I've lived in Louisville, Kentucky for the last almost thirty years", he told me, "Loved it.  Loved every second of it, but it's time to go home"

We continued to talk about Montana and Kentucky and all of the other sights for intriguing eyes that our great nation has to offer on such a journey.  Before we knew it, we were at our destination.

"You got a phone on you kid?" he asked as he paid me for his fare.

"Yeah", I said as I went to hand it to him, "you need to call somebody?"

"Yeah" he said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, "You"

I wished him the best of luck, hoping that he'd find out that his rash was nothing serious and be on his way.

The night went on and I had about five more calls and then about an hour and a half later, my phone started buzzing.

"Steve?"
"Yeah"
"Guy at the Mercy E.R. come and get me"

I swung by picked him up and headed back to the AmericInn.

"So what's your story?"  this time he was going to be the one to initiate the conversation.

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that so I asked him, "My story?"

"Yeah" he said, "You a student?  You doing this to put yourself through school?"

"No" I said to him, "it's my job.  It's what I do for a living"

"I find that that hard to believe", he said almost disappointed in me, "You see too enthusiastic to settle for such a career"

"Well" I said back to him, "It's not the greatest money in the world and there are no benefits or insurance, but it gets me by till something better comes along.  Besides I enjoy it"

"You thought about getting a degree?"

"Have one"

I then went on to explain to him how my college career didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to because of the many differentiating reasons both within and out of my control. 

"My real problem is" I said to him, "is that my dreams aren't easy ones to achieve.  I'd like to desire and want something simpler sometimes, I really would, but I don't.  I've tried it before.  I'm only happy if it's what in life I want that I strive for."

"And what is that?" he was really eager to learn

"Well" I answered him, "for one, I want to be a novelist"
My answer led us to a rather lengthy conversation that lasted about 3/4's the rest of the way.

"You know I can tell you're gonna make it as a writer", he said back to me, "I can tell you as I know that the sun will rise tomorrow, you will be an accomplished novelist someday"

It struck me odd that he was so sure of his belief.

"How do you know that?" I asked him, "I mean that's an awful encouraging thing to say having never read any of my work"

"Don't need to read it" he said not backing down from his confidence in me, "I can just tell your the type of person who would let himself die before he let himself give up"

Isn't it amazing how a complete stranger, someone that I'll know but for a total of thirty minutes of my entire life knew me better than some people I'll know my whole life?

"You know kid" he continued, "I know where you've been.  When I was your age, I took a ton of these shit jobs.  I scraped by on what I could chasing my dream for seven years.  Believe me, I know what it's like to have a job where you wonder if you're gonna make it day to day.   I've been there, but I imagine you probably make a killing on Saturday's don't you?"

"Actually" I said to him, "I don't work Saturdays"

"Don't work Saturdays!!?!?" I seemed to shockingly amaze this guy every time I spoke, "Why in tarnation not?"

"Well" I said to him, "That's my other dream"

I then went on to explain to him my love for professional wrestling.  How ever since I was four years old, I've wanted so badly to call myself a pro wrestler.

"Yeah" I said to him, "I know I'm small.  5'7, 180 lbs, but it's my dream"

"We all have setbacks and obstacles in our path to our destination.  I know I did in mine."

"And what was your dream sir?"

"Like you watching your rasslin on TV as a kid, I was always hanging out around airports as a kid.  I wanted to fly planes." he said to me as he looked up into the sky, "Your small stature was my eye sight.  I thought that since I had to wear glasses and didn't have 20/20 vision that I'd never be able to, but you know a fact doesn't kill a desire"

"Yeah" I said to him knowing that last line all too well, "it doesn't"

"Seven years" he said to me shaking his head, "Seven years.  Seven years of working shit ass jobs hoping that one day I'd get my break.  A part of me wanted to give up and settle for something else, but the part of me that wouldn't let that happen prevailed.   I found out a short period of time later that I could operate a plane with (gave me a number of passengers but I've forgotten) or less, so I got a job as a flight instructor"

"Oh cool" I said wanted to ask him more about it, but he cut me off.

"Didn't pay worth a shit", I laughed as he laughed, "Yet I was doing what I loved.  I loved being in the air.  That's where I belonged"

"You know money isn't everything" I said back to him, "but I think happiness is.  Even though you never made much money, you sound to me like you were happy with your decision"

He looked at me and his smile turned to a smirk, "Oh, I made money.  I made lots of money"

"How?"

"Story wasn't over yet kid" he said to me, "I met and befriended a man of the UPS that three months after meeting him came up to me and told me about a conversation he had with one of the heads of the department.  They were in need of someone that could fly the 747 jets with goods all over the world.  He said he knew the perfect person for the job, me"

"Awesome"

He cut me off once again before I could finish, "Awesome isn't the word. It was more than awesome. I got to spend 25 years of my life doing what I loved.  Flying all over the world and I got paid $100,000 a year to do it"

We pulled up to the lobby of the AmericInn.

"How much is my fare?"

"$14.75 sir" I said to him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to me.

"No change" he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another $20.  He held it in his hand, "Now $10 of this is for you to put towards writing or wrestling somehow.  The other $10 of this is for you to allow me to give you a piece of advice, and for you to promise me that you'll live by it"

I laughed, "Deal"

"You go after in life what it is that you want.  You don't ever let anything or anyone ever stop you from doing that.  You go after in life what it is that you want, and everything else will take care of itself"

I nodded in agreement.  He got out of the cab and walked over to my window and looked me dead in the eye as I rolled it down.

"If you don't" I couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious, "I'll want that $10 back"

"You won't be getting the $10 back", I said to him, "I promise you, you won't ever want it back"

I'll never see that man again, but the words he spoke to me that night, I'll hear again.  Through my own voice, I'll hear them again.