August 27th, 2008
“Son of a bitch, you’re running up the meter!”27 comments
August 20th, 2008
"Hey bro, remember me? You wrote that story about me in the paper."3 comments
August 13th, 2008
“It’s the Californians, man, the Californians are the worst.”15 comments
August 6th, 2008
The middle-aged man I picked up at Vendetta is in a hyperactively verbose lather ...0 comments
July 23rd, 2008
When I step into the obese old woman's apartment5 comments
July 16th, 2008
The obese old woman at Fred Meyer has a bad hip and a wheelchair...8 comments
July 9th, 2008
“...I need to take a shower first and wash all of this blood off.”6 comments
July 2nd, 2008
“So I’ve got these two women in the back of my cab who just refuse to get out...”8 comments
June 25th, 2008
“My friend’s getting divorced, and he’s really drunk,” says the bartender...8 comments
June 18th, 2008
There’s nothing like a good Friday night, and I’m referring to the money.3 comments
[March 22nd, 2006] "Take me to the Aladdin," she says. She's very drunk.
"The Aladdin closed hours ago—it's 3 am."
"Oh, I know. It's just my car is there."
I get this all the time: people who cab back to their car, sobering up a bit on the way. But this woman is absolutely, unequivocally, irredeemably unable to drive. I try to tell her this, but she refuses to listen.
Finally, I put my foot down. "Look, I am not going to take you to your car. Just tell me where you live, and I'll take you there."
"Fuck you," she says. "I'm not paying $30 in cab fare all the way to Gresham."
I plead with her, saying this is a small price to pay compared with the potential cost of a DUI, not to mention her safety and the safety of others. "Fucking cunt" was the nicest thing she calls me.
"Look, lady, just tell me where you live and I'll take you there. I won't run the meter. I take you home or I take you to Hooper Detox. It's your choice."
It's a long, long drive to take for free, and on a busy Saturday night to boot, bad for me. But it's long enough for her to sober up enough on the way and to realize what she had almost done. She apologizes to me and hands me a $20, which is all she has on her.
Doing the right thing so often leaves you getting screwed. But not tonight.
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RECENT COMMENTS ON “Take me to the Aladdin”
Take me to the AladdinGood for you hun. As a female cabbie I use to get people like that all the time. I had to stop working nights from the fustration of trying to tell someone what they are a...
Take me to the AladdinAnother great piece.....but this time with a twist.THanks for doing the right thing......AND getting paid for it!IF I ever ride with you I'll throw you some "extra" cash j...
Take me to the AladdinGod Bless You!In my town last weekend, a school principal who was a minister and father of six was killed by an alleged drunk driver. Two police officers were injured as ...
Take me to the AladdinWhat I want to say is; THANK YOU. I have worked way too many DUI accidents, both for extrication and for medical treatment. There is no reason for it period, and for anyon...
