When I took a cab

This is an actual conversation I had with a taxi driver on my way back.

A bit of background:I work in Mussaffah; the prime industrial area in Abu Dhabi and share a carlift with a colleague to and fro the city. At times when our carlift cannot make it we call a trusted cab driver (Nxxxxx) from Transad (a taxi provider in Abu Dhabi).

Today my colleague has not come to work and I don’t have a carlift. Nxxxxx cannt make it and has instead arranged his friend Wxxxxx (will be referred as W in this post) to pick me. W has picked my colleague and me earlier and so know us.

… and begins the conversation:

Me: Hello WXXXX, how are you today?

W: (smiles wide) I am good and how are you?

Me: I am grand.

W: Nxxxxx told me to pick you. I had a passenger to Dubai and I am returning from there now.

Me: That’s nice, so you didn’t have to do an empty trip back to the city.

W: Yeah but I am wanted to go via Yas Island.

Me: (hmm so what should I say for this) ok

W: Where is your friend?

Me: She didn’t come today.

W: Why she is not well?

Me: Hmm I think she is not over with the long holidays?

W: How were your holidays?

Me: Good. And yours?

W: No holidays for me. On 2^nd I took an off. The roads were so crowded and I didn’t want to get stuck in traffic. You know now it has become difficult for us, they are reworking on our contracts and that will mean a cut in our salaries. So I am trying hardto be on the roads and make the maximum money I can.

Me: Oh ok.

****silence for a couple of minutes****

W: Are you living alone?

Me: No I stay with my family.

W: You have husband?

Me: no

W: Then with parents?

Me: yeah

W: How many brothers and sisters you have?

Me: none. I am the only child

W: so lucky

Me: (smiles) why lucky?

W: simply. You know I have 2 sisters and 1 brother.

Me: nice

W: It is more than ten years that I have seen them.

Me: oh I am so sorry to hear that.

W: yeah. They are married and working in Kuwait.

Me: nice

W: maybe in Feb I will cancel my visa and go back to my country . I miss them a lot. I will sit in my house for one month and do nothing

Me: (only smiling)

****silence**** It’s been ten minutes since I am picked and we have not even crossed the bridges. We are stuck amidst traffic and hongings.

W: There is a lot of traffic today.

Me: Yeah the GCC summit is happening.

W: is it? Nobody told me.

Me: (huh! Somebody was supposed to tell you. Whatever)

W: how old are you?

Me: (where did this come from?) 24

W: I am 34. I am big

Me: (yeah right you are big. You are so tiny that if I blow you will fly out of this cab) ok

W:  Is this your first job?

Me: No

W: Where did you work before?

Me:  Budapest

W: Where is that? In Dubai?

Me: In Europe

W: Why did you come here?

Me: My parents live here.

W: You are very nice

Me: (this is my second cab ride with you and you have decided that I am nice?) thank you

**** I decide it will be a good idea to close my eyes for a while. I had this splitting headache and it will also get W silent for some time. But suddenly I realize I am alone in the cab and he has reduced the volume of the music being played in background. Not safe. It is better to keep my eyes open and so I OPEN MY EYES!****

W: You woke up?

Me: yeah

W: are you tired?

Me: yeah

W: Do you cook food?

Me: ( ewwwww!, where is this going to?) yeah

W: good

Me: (huh!!!)

W: abu dhbai is beautiful

Me: (smiling)

W: I like abu dhabi.

Me: yeah

 W: you are also beautiful

Me: (I didn’t want a compliment now. I WANT TO GET HOME) so are you excited to go home.

W: yes. I want to see my mother and father. I miss my family.

Me: how many kids do you have?

W: (looks back with the best smile he has) I am not married. I am looking for a good girl.

Me: ok

W: why you think I have children?

Me: oh I am sorry, I just asked.

W: Do I look old?

Me : (yes you do!) No, no you look younger than me.

W: thank you

W: what does your name mean?

Me: its means star.

W: you are like a star

Me: yeah

W: you are nice

Me: yeah

****silence****

W: What will you do once you are at home? Bath and sleep?

Me: No I will go gymming.

W: yeah you are little fat

Me: (ewww! That’s the last thing I wanted.) ok

W: you must run every day

Me: ok

W: are you eating a lot of rice?

Me: no

W: then why?

Me : I don’t know

W: you are telling lies. You must be eating  a lot of rice.

Me: (the last thing I wanted was to argue with him on why I was on the healthier side) yeah maybe.

W: See that is why. Don’t eat rice.

Me: ok

W: you are nice.

Me: (somebody save me) I still have a good ten minutes to get home. I pick the cell phone and call up a friend

****10 minutes of phone chat followed by moments of silence. Summer of 69 being played in the background***

W: you like this song?

Me: yeah

W: you want more songs.

Me: this is fine

W: Next time I will give you a collection of good songs. Just like you.

Me: (a song like me????) drop me by the bus stand

W: okay.

I hand over the money.

W: Thank you Pjahdbv (I didn’t get the word right)

Me: your welcome

W: you know what is Pjahdbv?

Me: no

W: it means angel in Sinhala

Me: okay  (and I get down exhausted)

I have had enough for today.