I have seen this before, but it is so touching, I thought I would share it again.
I arrived at the
address and honked the horn.
After waiting a few minutes I honked again.
Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about
just
driving away,
But instead I put the car in park and walked up to the
door and
knocked..
'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I
could hear something
Being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause,
the door opened.
A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing
a print dress
And a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out
of a
1940's movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment
looked as if no
one had
Lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered
with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils
on the
counters.
In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and
glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took
the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm
and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness.
'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers
The way I
would want my mother to be treated.'
'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked,
'Could you
drive through downtown?'
'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a
hospice.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
'I don't
have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..
'The doctor says I
don't have very long.'
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours,
we drove through the city.
She showed me the building where she had once
worked as an elevator
operator.
We drove through the neighbourhood where
she and her husband had lived
When they were newlyweds.
She had me pull
up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once
Been a ballroom where she
had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a
particular building or
corner
And would sit staring into the darkness, saying
nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon,
She suddenly
said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had
given me.
It was a low building, like a small convalescent home,
With a
driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as
soon as we pulled up.
They were solicitous and intent, watching her every
move.
They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the
small suitcase to the door.
The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,'
I answered.
'You have to make a living,' she said.
'There are other
passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a
hug.
She held onto me tightly.
'You gave an old woman a little moment of
joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the
dim morning light.
Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of
a life..
For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman
had
Gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then
driven
away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything
more
important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives
revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware -
beautifully wrapped in
What others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY
NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY
WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID. BUT THEY WILL
ALWAYS
REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
At the bottom of this great story was a
request to forward this -
I deleted that request because if you have read to
this point,
You won't have to be asked to pass it along, you just will...
Thank you, my friend...
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but
while we are here we might
as well dance.
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