She called and said she wasn’t at the pickup point. “This is my first time using Uber, and I’m not sure how to change it.”
The Uber app allows drivers to see where the riders are in live action if they use the proper settings.
“Do you want me to come to you? I can see where you are.” I asked. She was walking to her apartment with a little girl when I met them hurrying along the road. We were only a block or so from their home.
“We have several things to pack up. We will hurry. I hope that’s ok,” she said.
I relayed several bags and laundry baskets to the back of my car. Once they settled in, the little girl asked, “Mommy, will I see my friends again?”
“You will make so many new friends at your new school!” she assured her.
“Can I invite them over to spend the night?”
“Of course!” her mother said. “We will have our own house, just you and me! It will be so peaceful, no more yelling or hitting.”
I couldn’t imagine what kind of life they were leaving. The little girl was so anxious about meeting new friends. I recalled being about her age when my Dad was transferred every couple of years in the Air Force. We lived in Cincinnati, Okinawa, Wichita, and Mobile. Our final move was from Wichita to Mobile.
That last one was tough. I overheard my mother on the phone as she learned that her father had passed away. Early the next morning, my brother, sister, and I packed everything we owned and drove to Mobile with my parents. My best friend, Joe Hannigan, lived on base housing across the street from us.
“Can I go say goodbye to Joe before we leave?” I asked my Mom.
“Yes, but hurry up! We’ve got to get going!”
I knocked. His mother opened the door.
“Can I see Joe?” I asked.
She replied, “He has to finish his breakfast first.”
I never saw him again.
Back to the Uber ride. I saw the little girl holding her doll.
“Your mother is right,” I said. “I moved a lot when I was about your age. We treated it as a new adventure each time. I missed my other friends, but I sure enjoyed meeting new people. You’ll have new teachers, classmates, and much more to learn at your new school.”
Her mother seemed grateful to have someone join in on her side. I know she was looking forward to her own new life.
We pulled into a gas station where someone in her family waited to load his vehicle with their belongings. I congratulated the little girl on starting her new adventure and told them they would be in my prayers.
The words, ‘no more yelling or hitting,’ stayed in my mind for days.
That was not my only ‘something ain’t right’ feeling that week.
I picked up a middle-aged woman at a medical facility. She struggled to get in the car while wearing a cast on one leg. The Uber app told me the ride would take more than an hour. We were going to Alabama.
She told me her leg had been hurting for months as we traveled. She kept hoping the pain would go away. This doctor told her she would wear the cast for another four to six weeks until her knee was strong enough. Her boss told her they would accommodate her at the restaurant where she worked.
She lived with her husband of twenty-something years. “He doesn’t have much to do with me except to put me down every chance he gets. I don’t have many friends or family nearby, so I don’t have anyone to talk to.”
“What does your husband do for a living?” I asked. That question opened up the floodgates.
“Nothing! Except when he needs a couple of bucks to go out to eat or drink. Then, he drives a few Instacart loads. He never takes me anywhere or even carries on a decent conversation with me.”
She continued, “He says his best friend is a twelve-year-old girl he takes to lunch sometimes.”
Bells went off in my head! Something ain’t right!”
“What?” I said. “Where are this girl’s parents?”
“Well, they’re his ‘good’ friends. But I don’t think it’s right. He ignores me when I bring it up or tells me I’m jealous.”
“I don’t know why I’m still with him. I guess it’s because I’m the one who pays all the bills, especially the mortgage. If I leave, he’ll take all the equity I’ve built up.”
I can’t keep quiet now. “You need to get an attorney. Lots of lawyers will listen to you for free at least once. You have some rights. Do you have a church?”
She says, “I have a church, but I never go. I don’t have any way to get there.”
I encouraged her to call the pastor or anyone at the church. Call another church if they can’t find anyone to help her or take her to services. That’s why they exist, for God’s sake!
We approached her home. As we traveled down the gravel, then dirt road, I wondered about the $7,000.00 in equity she was trying to protect. Then we arrived.
The home was a dilapidated trailer/manufactured home with three broken-down vehicles in the front yard. To the side of the yard was a pile of cans surrounding a fire pit.
No equity, I’m sure.
“Promise me you’ll talk to a lawyer and call someone at the church..” I said. “And please know that you’re in my prayers.”
I’ve spent the last five weeks transporting families and friends enjoying their spring break. Sometimes, I get folks who need a break of their own.
God Bless ‘Em,
Tommy
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