You can travel a long way as an Uber driver in as little as eight hours.
My first ride was for a legally blind older woman. She had moved years ago with her husband to sunny West Florida. He passed away several years ago. She had friends in the area when she first moved here, but eventually, they left her behind. Still, I enjoyed her attitude on life.
When we turned onto her street, she vividly described how to recognize her home. “There is a black SUV parked just this side of my home. I can’t see it, but I know it’s always parked there.”
Next, I picked up a gentleman staying on 30-A, just west of Sandestin, Florida. He needed to get a rental car for his family’s trip back to South Carolina. Their car had some major A/C problems, along with potential overheating issues. He was in town on business. His family joined him for an Independence Day vacation.
He would drive the ‘suspect’ vehicle, while his family followed him. “I’ll grab a gallon of coolant and get the car home! Stuff happens!” I loved his positive attitude!
Around noon, I picked up a young lady from a coffee shop. “Do you mind if I lie down in the back seat?” From her phone conversations, I gathered that she had a rough day the previous day. I lowered the music volume and managed to shut my mouth more than usual.
Still a lot of the day left!
My next rider was a young man at a motel rated less than five stars. He asked me several times not to leave him. Someone else had ordered the Uber. “I’ve got to bring some cigarettes to a lady on the third floor. She should be here soon!”
Something in his voice made me want to wait. Finally, he got into my car. Our ride was to last almost an hour. He seemed very agitated as his phone rang and texts kept buzzing. He turned down most of them, commenting on how everyone keeps messing up his life.
He told me he was trying to get a degree. I think it was some computer-related courses. He was very agitated.
“I think my ex-girlfriend stole my backpack. It had my laptop in it. I believe she put it in a storage unit. I’ve been trying to get the guy who has the unit to check it. She hates me and denies that she knows where it is.”
He continued, “I lost two-and-a-half years. I’m trying to get back on track.”
His mood had become much calmer, almost sad. We discussed letting the past go and focusing on what he could do now to change his life, one step at a time.
He said, “The woman who paid for this ride is the only one I can trust. You keep saying that you wake up each day and start over. I don’t know if I can do that, but I probably need to.”
I hope so.
The next trip was tough. Uber requested that I pick up a woman in Pensacola. As I drove down the one-way destination street, I saw groups of people obviously down on their luck. Soon, those numbers increased, and I stopped in the middle of the road between a couple of dozen folks.
To my left, two people were passing a pipe and a lit cigarette lighter back and forth. I noticed two empty trash bins and a large amount of trash scattered around the street. I rolled down my driver’s side window.
“Is there a Veronica here looking for an Uber?” I asked several times. A couple of women pointed behind my car. A tall, thin gentleman kept peering into my vehicle. He also pointed to the back. I finally decided I had to get out of the car.
There she was—a nicely-dressed lady and a small baby. She removed the car seat from the carriage and began placing the baby inside. She sat on one side of the child, and the aforementioned tall, thin man sat on the other side. I could only guess that she had made this trip to pick him up several times before.
Oddly, I was explaining the location to my daughter and found it on Google Maps. In the map, I could see the same variety of people in the Google picture. And there he was, the same fellow, wearing the same clothes in the image.
I don’t know how to tell these folks that they can ‘start’ over. It’s heartbreaking.
My day wasn’t over. Since I live in Florida, Uber won’t let me begin a trip in Alabama. However, I can start a trip in Florida and drive anywhere. My next ride took me from Pensacola to Orange Beach, right by the Flora-Bama. You can imagine the traffic!
Surely, my next ride would be back toward my home in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Uber allows us to direct our rides to our homes through the app. I didn’t properly program my choice. My next (and last) ride was from the Flora-Bama (20 ft from the Alabama state line) to Foley. I should have turned it down, but I was too close to my weekly goal.
I wonder whether variety is everything it’s made out to be.
Thanks, and God Bless,
Tommy
***
(I hope you will stay in touch. I’ll be releasing my book on July 15. You can pre-purchase the Kindle version now! You’ll receive it on July 15.
Here’s the link: Kindle version
The paperback is available on July 15, but it’s not available for pre-purchase. I’ll let you know as soon as I have more information. I appreciate your support!)