Full Circle(1)

Last night I decided to liven up the shift with a change of scene from the usual boring finance workers, buried in their Blackberries. So after midnight I grabbed a coffee and camped outside the Empire Hotel in Kings Cross...

An Islander doorman applied an arbitrary selection criteria to prospective patrons, rejecting around 50%. They wandered off to find a less selective bar, except for one drunken young fella who hung around like a wounded pup.

At one point he challenged the doorman, "Hey, how come you let those guys in, they’re pissed too ?" Whilst I didn’t catch the doorman’s reply, it was short and unambiguous. This had the kid pathetically attempting to apologise, only to be totally ignored. All of which reminded me of Rob's attitude working the door of a New York nightclub.

A prostitute hustled to the cab and opened the passenger door. Pointing across the road she said, "I need you to go over to that doorway and pick up a girl." "Why ?" "Umm...cause she’s got bags." "Why don’t she come out first ?" "She doesn’t want to." "Mate, I don’t want to either," I said, "just grab a passing cab." Which she did, directing the cab to the doorway. A hooker in ridiculous heels appeared, furtively glanced around then scurried across the footpath into the cab, which roared off. She had no bags.

Finally a regular looking fella in his thirties climbed into the front seat. "Where to?" I asked.  "Mate, this is going to be just...", and he paused, playing with his phone, "..um, sensational." "Yeah, but where to..?" "Just go straight." I headed off through the Cross.

Finishing with texting he asked, "Driver, what’s your name ?" "Stephen." Offering his hand he said, "Stephen, Ben, pleased to meet you." Fair enough, I thought, and shook hands. However it was around the sixth or seventh handshake in as many blocks that he surprised me by clasping my hand and planting a prolonged kiss on it. Thence patted my knee.

At Central he was so enamoured by my relaxed response to this behaviour, he requested, "Pull over somewhere, I’ve got something special for you." Immediately I stopped at the bus terminal on George Street. "No, no," he protested, "take the next left, there’s an alley around there." Yeah, right.

I laughed at him, "Mate, the only thing special I want from you is bucks; you got any ?" "Of course," he said and handed over a fifty dollar note. The meter showed $11 so I whipped out $40 for him. He refused it, "No, keep going, take me down to Broadway." Putting the fifty on the dashboard I took off whilst he whinged about not being trusted. "Mate, don’t be stupid," I said. "No cabbie will do laneways late at night."

At Broadway I stopped outside the Landsdowne Hotel with the meter showing $15. "This is it," I told him. Opening the door he said, "Just wait here, I’ll be right back." When he refused to take the fifty, I insisted with, "Don’t worry, I trust you." Taking it, he went into the Bottleo and I took off, happy to drop fifteen bucks just to get rid of the prick.

Within five minutes I’d collected a $15 fare back to the Empire Hotel in Kings Cross, where I’d started. No harm done.

Comments

[Wil]

Why is it that being cordial is taken as an invitation for "more"???

Happens to me also. And I am an ugly S.O.B.

[Dataceptionist]

Adrian I really worry for you, you seem to have such a lax attitude to people who don't pay, that you're "happy to get rid of". Don't you worry this makes you a target for people that don't pay? I'd be spewing if I didn't get paid for something I had worked for!!!

[adrian]

True Wil, he was a morbid and pushy bastard, I should have ignored him.

Dataceptionist, this occurs every few weeks, or every two hundred fares. With weirdos the most important thing is to get them out of your life. In which case the magic, non-confrontational phrase is, "No charge". Short and sweet, whilst a regular fare waits nearby with clean money.

[Becker]

Putting the fifty on the dashboard I took off
When he refused to take the fifty, I insisted

I find your attitude difficult to understand. You get the money for the fare and then not only do you leave it in plain sight and open to being taken back, you then "insist" he takes it and drive off!

Maybe it's my strange way of seeing things but the deposit on any fare goes straight out of sight into my shirt pocket, should proof of taking be asked for I will print the pax a receipt. I give my word vehemently that any change owing will be given at completion of the job. I tell them "I don't want to rip you off, I just want what's rightfully mine"

Lastly and this is a bit longer than I intended but plenty of cabbie's have driven off on fares without getting paid but giving the money back I've never heard that before.

Then again the guy was obviously a fag so who can blame you for wanting rid of him at the first available opportunity?

[adrian]

I fully understand your point Becker and ostensibly, that is how it should be. However I wanted him gone as I judged his 'dodgy' money was simply not worth any risks.

When dealing with weirdos anything is liable to happen, in an instant. They're cunning, erratic and create disputes.

The last thing needed in a dispute is for a passenger to suddenly snatch/grapple for money on my person, causing an unpredictable and unnecessary physical confrontation. Especially with my shirt pocket carrying an expensive cam/phone and a bunch of notes. For 15 bucks ? Forget it.

A tip - just get the f...ers out of your life ASAP and get to the next job. That way you'll avoid expensive down-time in police stations, courts and/or hospitals.