Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of picking up people who are trying to better themselves or move toward a hopeful future. Aspirations! Students, retirees, honeymooners, and people who have chosen the Florida Panhandle as their new home.
A couple of days ago, Uber summoned me to a fairly new neighborhood development. When I arrived, a lady approached my car and said, “I sorry for my broken English. I don’t know how to come back here. I need to pick up and come very quickly here. Round trip.”
I explained that she could use the app to add a destination, and if I didn’t get another ride in the meantime, I could bring her back. She thanked me and hurried back to her house. She came back with another older woman.
“My mother will go with us! Sorry for my broken English! Thank you!”
Somewhere in our conversation, I realized they were from China, although I found much of what she said hard to understand.
She tried several times to use the app to add a destination. Just before we arrived, I got another ride request. I accepted because we didn’t seem far from her home. She assured me she would be very quick.
We arrived at a school.
“I pick up very quick. Thank you. Thank you!”
I tried to explain again that I had another passenger waiting. She smiled, thanked me some more, and promised me a good tip. I’m not sure how much of what I said she understood. I’m even less sure how much difference it would have made. As far as she was concerned, apparently, we had a plan!
I assumed she had left something at the school—a package, some papers, something in an office. I also assumed my next rider would eventually give up and cancel.
After several minutes of watching her and her mother unsuccessfully trying to enter the school, they were finally admitted.
Then they came back out with two children.
Oh!
Now I understood the round trip.
Their excitement was palpable. When those children went to school that morning, they lived in a different home. When we pulled into that new neighborhood, they were seeing their new home for the first time.
Everyone jumped around. Everyone thanked me. The grandmother hadn’t said a word during the entire adventure. She just smiled.
And her smile said plenty.
As luck would have it, my next rider didn’t cancel and was very gracious when I told him my reason. By the way, my Chinese lady did give a very nice tip!
My next “aspirant” was a little different. I guess you’d say he was aiming much higher than most of my passengers.
I rolled up in front of his somewhat disheveled residence. In addition to an old vehicle in the yard, an assortment of cats and dogs ran about. He approached my car, pulling one of the dogs along. I accept rides with animals, sometimes non-human, so I was okay with this part German Shepherd, and part every other breed of canine. At least the dog seemed clean.
We rolled down the passenger-side window, and my rider sat directly behind me. I’ve always loved watching the pleasure dogs get from sticking their heads out the window.
Then, I heard my passenger begin talking on his phone.
“Yep, I’ve been approved as a candidate, and I should be getting my secret service agents in the next few days.”
I realized he wasn’t on the phone. He was talking to me.
“I’m sorry, were you talking to me?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, and repeated the sentence.
“That’s why I’m taking this dog to the beach today. It’s his turn; the other dog went yesterday. My two cats wouldn’t care, but my dogs do.”
We were headed for a bar at Pensacola Beach.
“The Secret Service told me to lie low for a few days and not to say things like ‘I want someone to kill Donald J. Trump!’ I think candidates should be able to walk around everyone else and carry on conversations with average people!”
“Well, some of those people are a little crazy, so it’s probably necessary,” I said. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe my rider landed on the other side of the crazy line than most people I know. I began counting the time left on this ride. It wasn’t going fast enough.
He continued. “I’ve been around for hundreds of millennials! I’ve seen many leaders during my lives, which is why I’m qualified to be a candidate.”
He repeated his presidential aspirations. He also mentioned some of his other identities during those “millennials.” The names sounded medieval and vaguely satanic. I didn’t recognize any of them, and frankly, I wasn’t inclined to ask for clarification.
Finally, we arrived at the bar. The dog had been wonderful. I wished my rider luck on his upcoming campaign.
Before I could turn off my app and head home, I got one more assignment. Then a phone call.
“Hey, Tommy! We’re glad we got you again. Just pick us up where you dropped us off.”
The thing was, I hadn’t been on Pensacola Beach all day, but that’s where the pickup location showed up. The gentleman sounded like he had taken advantage of the bars in that area.
I arrived to greet a lovely couple in their mid-60s. They got into the car, looked at me, and said, “You’re not the same Tommy we had earlier!”
“We’re going to our townhome. We’ve got to make one more trip up north, and then we’ll be retiring here. We love it! This is something we’ve looked forward to for years!”
We turned into the townhome complex.
She spoke up. “Take a left right here. That’s our place over there!”
“No, that’s wrong! Keep going!” he said.
“You’re right; now take a left. I see it right there!!”
He corrected her two or three more times before we arrived at their “Dream” home. This was their life’s aspiration!
At this point, I simply aspired to get home!
God Bless,
Tommy