A friend of mine once told me that sometimes I sound a little “preachy” in my blogs. I guess this may be one of those.
I pick up all kinds of people. It’s one of the fascinating aspects of driving rideshare.
Uber beckoned me to pick up a young lady getting off work. She was tired, not just from her job, but from her life. We talked for a few minutes.
“I’m ready to move away and start over,” she said. “I thought I could find someone to be with here, but it hasn’t worked out.”
She answered her phone then. A friend called and told her about a man she should meet. They discussed his “attributes,” and the friend seemed to know my rider needed some encouragement.
I’ll never understand why some people are willing to ignore the Uber driver while discussing very personal feelings. And, yes, the caller was very loud.
Here comes the sermon. In this conversation, and many others, people search for temporary fixes. I get to listen to countless folks who can’t seem to understand why their lives are so messed up.
My rider reluctantly agreed to call the targeted “gentleman” in question. Her friend made it clear that he wasn’t a prospect for anything resembling commitment.
But this next rider epitomized the problem with the “live for the moment” culture. The damage rarely stops with the frolickers.
I saw my passengers just ahead—a woman talking on her phone and a little boy holding his football helmet. As they buckled up, I asked the young fellow what position he played.
“We’re starting practice today,” he said. “I play quarterback.”
His mother interrupted her call long enough to tell me he also plays defense. Then, she quickly returned to her discussion. I could tell she wanted to stop our conversation so she wouldn’t be distracted from her call. The kid just looked at me and immediately became quiet.
The conversation on the phone could only be described as X-rated. A couple of times, her son tried to get her attention.
“Mom. Mom!” he interrupted. She shushed him each time he tried.
Occasionally, the “Mom” would blurt out the “F” word, look at me, and apologize. She apologized to me while sitting next to her little boy. No apology to him!
But the conversation got even worse, if that was possible. Apparently, she had stopped talking to the woman she started with and was now talking to a male acquaintance.
As if it showed some restraint, she s-p-e-l-l-e-d some of the more descriptive terms to her call-mate. I don’t know if the little football player could spell, but I was mortified, not only for him, but for myself.
We reached the football field, full of young folks running in every direction, accompanied by moms and dads or other guardians. I was sick to my stomach.
The little boy I dropped off will not have an easy path in which to grow up. I wanted to say something to “Mom,” but I wasn’t sure it wouldn’t make things worse.
I would preach a little here, but you already know the problem.
My next ride was totally the opposite. I picked up a young man from one job to take him to another. He was a manager at the first job. He took on a second job as a fast-food worker to support his family.
He and his wife faced financial setbacks, but he stayed committed to his family, especially their two kids.
I’ve had countless riders go through unfortunate life events that made being involved with their children almost impossible. Sometimes, things don’t work out, even with the best of intentions.
What bothers me the most, and what I’ve seen too often in my Uber career, is the damage done to children when the adults in their lives put their own wants ahead of the kids who depend on them.
I apologize for the tone of this week’s column. I needed to get this off my chest. Most of my riders enhance my days, and I appreciate the way they attack the day’s challenges. Next week, a lighter mood, I promise!
God Bless,
Tommy