Trouble

On Monday night I stopped for a woman walking along the highway in the outer suburbs. She was petite and quiet pretty, aged around forty years old and heading for a local pub.

"I never go out this late,” she said after climbing in the front seat. “In fact I never go out at all because I’ve been married for twenty years to a fireman and raised two kids.”

Okay, I thought, why are you telling me this unsolicited personal information straight up. Sure, she may have had a couple of drinks but I didn’t consider her that drunk.

Next thing she deftly steered the conversation around to sex and when she started touching my arm I was really on my guard. “What’s that hotel down the road like?” I told her it had a reputation as a seedy lap dancing joint with a brothel upstairs.

"I don’t understand how women can do that,” she remarked. “Anyway, thanks for warning me. I guess I’m a bit naive after being married for so long but I just don’t know who to trust.” Her voice trailed off leaving the comment hanging like a bad smell and I silently groaned.

Yet despite the claims of a sheltered life she later disclosed how she worked as a health professional at a private practise in the city. This was a particularly restless soul out on the prowl. Trouble.

After paying the fare she lingered, asking a series of unrelated questions and offering to shake hands at least four times. And each time she maintained the pressure so I needed to gently but firmly extract my hand from increasingly clinging fingers. Yikes!

By then I had the tape recorder operating for one never knew how such encounters end. Finally she requested my taxi number so she could call me later even though I informed her that the network wouldn’t permit personal bookings. Then she was gone.

Poor woman ranks as my second loneliest passenger of the year.

Comments

[Rainer the cabbie]

Petite, pretty, local brothel just down the road, a quiet Monday night....
Not that you aren't a good looking fellow Adrian, but I think I smell a rat.

[Walter]

The only time women came on to me when I was driving cabs was working girls. Pretty homely ones too.

[adrian]

Gees, she had me fooled thinking she was just a garden variety cougar, call me naive.

[manlycabbie]

married to a fireman,hmmmmm wonder if i know him.might see you on the road the next 3 days adrian i'm doing a sunday,monday,tuesday semi's on my 4 days off this week ,hopeing to get some xmas money.

[manlycabbie]

married to a fireman hmmmmmm wonder if i know him.might see you on the road this week adrian doing semi's sunday,monday,tuesday on my 4 days off this week for smoe xmas money hope its still busy haven't done ashift in sydney for 8 weeks now.

[adrian]

Manlycabbie, it's not too busy yet but hopefully over the next week or so it hits full steam. Good luck.

[Kevin]

Pretty, coming on to you, sober ? Well I would have. One of the few perks in an otherwise very poorly rewarded job. I got invited in by a woman during one memorable shift and had a great time.

Just be careful

[Peter Deane]

Gee, in seven years of driving, only ONCE did the ultimate perk happen to me. So many times I'd get asked whether I'd been given fares in kind rather than cash. I always had to keep saying no, it doesn't happen. I think the once I did get a tip she actually paid the fare. (Hi Judy)

[manly cabbie]

sunday was ok but monday and tuesday dead loss so much for you carn't get a taxi at this time of year all you saw on those nights where vacant cabs sitting on big que's on ranks.

[Godot]

Sounds about right. I used to get seriously propositioned on average about once a month back in my cabbie days (by the occasional gay male, as well), though when they were like your passenger, there was usually mention of the cheating habits of their partner. Funnily enough, I never got any offers from the working girls. Never took any of the offers up, though - figured anyone who would do that had bigger issues than I wanted to buy into.