The Blog Cab Tales via the 70's
As I mentioned last time , to put food on the table, and more importantly,
to pay the bills, I took a job driving a cab. The job was mine , due to our neighbor, and a friend of Susan's. The neighbor's name was Jerry, he lived in the next building , with his room mate, who was the co owner a competing cab company . I think his name was Rich, his partner's name Steve.
Well, since everyone knew Susan, I got the job.
I will illustrate tell some Taxi Driving Tales,
with a brief cartoon illustration to make my point.
All stories are factual , based on my memory, and not embellished.
This being true, they
may leaving you hanging for more,
since you are use to TV shows and fictional accounts of facts.
The above illustration is entitled
"The day I sunk the 42 car"
Each vehicle was given a number, and I drove, the checker cab,
known as the 42 car.
Each of the next four vignettes,
will tell tales of that vehicle, and me.
One snowy, icy morning, I received a call to pick up a customer,
from their home, for passage to the rail road station.
Normally, a 5 minute drive,
but the area was a new development in Island Park, NY.
I wended my way through the dirt roads, picked up the passenger,
and headed towards the railway station.
The customer was in a hurry to make the 7:55 train,
and told me of a short cut through the construction areas.
On a clear day, that would have been a fine idea,
but with intermittent,ice, and rain, not so.
I dutifully followed the passengers' directions,
a left here, a right there, until we hit a pocket of ice.
The cab skidded a bit, but I kept control of it.
The next move was to be our final move.
I slowly made a left turn, through what appeared to be a clearing,
but alas, the road had it's own mind.
The ice gave way, and we began to sink.
A checker cab is a fairly heavy vehicle, so we
sunk pretty quickly. The car didn't sink straight down, it went face down.
All the passenger cared about was missing her train. She said to me, forget it, I'll walk, opened the door, and water rushed in.I turned off the motor, grabbed the keys, hopped out the back door, and muddled my way thigh, to ankle, deep in frozen water , hearing the words "Idiot" "Jerk", and worse as I traversed my way back to the cab station. The cab was saved, I froze my assets off.
"Driving a cab, can be Murder"
One evening, about 9;30 PM, I received an unusual call,to pick up a customer at The Long Beach Motor Inn.
Why this was unusual, was because, The Long Beach Motor Inn had a direct line to the Long Beach Cab company, our competitor. I took the call, drove to the Motor Inn, waited for the fare.
I brown leathered jacketed young man hopped in the car, and said "Let's Go!" He seemed hopped up on something.
I said where to, he proceeded, to not only give me the address, but also to disclose his tale.
He began with, "You look like a pretty together guy...", with those
words he proceeded to tell me how he robbed a jewelry store, in Long Beach, NY
earlier in the day, and how he got away with $28,000 in gems.I lived in Long Beach, and heard of no robbery this day, so I thought he was Bull Sh*tting me., so I listened , because my tip was in balance. I drove him to his destination, he said" Wait here, I 'll be right back,and cut the top light". Usually that means that you'll never see your fare again. Just as I was about to leave, he appeared , shaky and sweaty, he said" Let's Go" I said where to now, "Back to the Hotel", he retorted . He paid the cab fare, and handed me a $20 tip. That was quite unusual.
Upon heading back to the cab stand, I clicked on the radio, to hear of a brutal murder in Long Beach, earlier in the evening. The cab office sat next to the Nassau County police booth. The police were always dropping by to talk, and grab a coffee. This evening the cab stand was a beehive of activity. There was indeed a murder, in Long beach, NY. A brutal murder, not that long ago. I didn't put two and two together, so I went about my business, ended my shift at midnight, headed home. When I got to my apartment, Susan was entertaining , our neighbor, Jerry , and a few friends. I was wide awake, so I partied into the early morning with them.
I told them of my unusual passenger earlier in the evening. They all laughed at the dumb story.
The next evening while driving my Checker cab, I got a call from the dispatcher, to come in immediately after the paid fare.As I drove into the cab station, there were two plain clothes officers to greet me. They asked my name, and inquired if I had anyone strange in my cab last night. I told them that most of my passengers at night are strange. They said I picked up this fare, last night, at The Long Beach Motor Inn. I sunk in my seat. They said "Could you identify this person, if you saw him again?" I said "If you have a picture" Then one cop turned to the other and said, "Do you have the picture?" Whereupon, the other cop said, "No, I thought you brought the pcture." They jumped in their car, and said , "We'll be right back." As I was returning from my latest fare, I received a call from the dispatcher, "John, your friends are back, you better get back here, in a hurry."Before I could even park the car, the two officers flipped out a photo, and said "Is this the man you drove last night?" I said,
"Yeah, only he's a bit uglier. "
Apparently, how this all unfolded was that , my neighbor Jerry's room mate, Rich, knew the person who was murdered. She was his mothers good friend. Rich notified the police, after
Jerry told Rich my story, and the police came to the cab station to quiz me.
They caught the perpetrator about two weeks later.
Thinking no one was home, the perp broke into a house in Long beach, , to steal a T.V, and a few other items. He was startled by a woman , who caught him robbing her. She tried to stop him, He pulled a knife, and stabbed her. Not only did he stab here, but he then stabbed her 27 times, and raped her. He wanted the police to believe a maniac killed her, not him.
I lived in fear, until they caught him. Simple police work, was how he got caught.
All televisions had registration code numbers, to identify the owners. When the perp fenced the TV, and the person tried to sell it, the police arrested the seller. The seller turned against the perp, and the perp was arrested. I was to be his alibi, since he called just after the murder, was all shaky, and nervous, and gave me a preposterous robbery story. I would be sure to have his alibi covered, It didn't work out that way.
Be rewarded when?
Sometimes we got to pick up the last call drinkers, from the bars, and drive them home.
It was a task that all late night cab drivers had to do. Rewarding? well that would depend on the luck, and possible good fortune of the driver. The idea was to get them in and out of your cab as quickly as possible. Not only because they might throw up, but also, cab driving is a numbers game. The more passengers the more money you make. It was as simple as that.
One evening, I picked up and old sot, who wanted to go home from the pub. The problem was not only was he sleepy, but he also, couldn't remember where he lived, in Long Beach.
I kept naming apartment houses, not only to assist in his identifying where he lived, but also to keep him awake. Long Beach is aptly named, it is a long strip of beach property with apartments, and houses scattered throughout. My voice was becoming hoarse after driving up and down the strip calling out names of hotels, apartments, and streets. He was half asleep, I think he was beginning to feel that my "42" cab was his home. finally as it was getting almost light, he remembered, I promptly drove him to his home. He asked "How much"
The fare was normally $3.00 from the bar, to his home. but since he claimed squatters rights, I charged him $10.00. He payed gladly, and threw in a $5.00 tip. His last comment to me was" You will be rewarded in Heaven, my friend." My guilt widened at that moment for overcharging him.
The cat lady
During the day shift, frequently we would assist the elderly with their grocery bundles.
One afternoon, I received a call to pick up a fare at the King Kullen food store.
At the curbside there was an old lady with a shopping cart filled with about 12 bags of groceries.
She was to be my fare. I helped her into the car, she had an odor about her. I placed all the grocery bags into the trunk, and off we went. When I arrived at her home, she asked if I could carry the bags into the house. I obliged. When she opened the door, I realized what her odor was. She was a cat lady. She had about 2 dozen cats of all colors and sizes running about her home. There was newspapers everywhere, and the pungent smell of cat urine permeated the place.. After several trips, all the grocery bags were in the house.. She thanked me , and apologized, that she couldn't afford a tip. She offered me a cat. I said no thank you. As I walked towards the door, she said"Wait" "I have something for you, sir, something for your kindness"
She handed me a Tiffany lamp, as a gratuity. I was amazed, I said no, but she insisted.
So I walked out with a Tiffany lamp.
Years later, my ex-wife sold it at a garage sale. It wasn't a Tiffany.
Thanks for your letting me bend your ear, uh eye for this Adventure in cabbing,
More art and the 70's to come.
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