Moonlighting

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Tonight I drove the taxi for the first time.  Highlights:

1. A Spanish-speaking family from Houston needed a ride from a restaurant in town back to the lodge.  They trickled into the cab slowly, kids first.  I asked them a few questions and introduced myself in Spanish.  The grandpa was the last to get in.  One of the little girls, who was maybe about six, said to him excitedly, in Spanish, "Grandpa!  The girl understands Spanish so we can't talk about her!"  A-hahaha. 

2. The van has automatic sliding doors, controlled by a button up front.  If people open and close the doors manually it messes them up and they temporarily won't open or close.  Also, to get them to open after you've been driving, you have to a) put the car in park, b) lock and then unlock the doors, and then c) hit the button to open them.  If anyone interrupts this process by opening or closing a door manually, you have to wait a little while and then start it over.  

NO ONE TOLD ME THIS.

Actually, how did I get to be a taxi driver?  Let's back this up a little.

One of the bartenders at the Fairview stopped by the front desk of the lodge one night to drop off some Taxi business cards.  I had heard that one of the bellmen at the lodge was filling in as a taxi driver, so I mentioned to the bartender that I was interested and asked if they needed any more drivers.

Turns out this bartender runs the taxi, and he said he'd add my name to his list of people on-call.  I told him what nights I'm free, and he wrote down my name and number.

Then he called me tonight.  (Or I guess technically last night.)  I took the last shuttle into town, then hopped in the driver's seat of the taxi and drove six senior citizens to the lodge.  At the lodge, it took me a good five minutes to get the doors open, and I'm not exaggerating, and that is a long time to be hitting buttons in a panic while trying to act calm.  Luckily, the senior citizens thought it was pretty hilarious.  Once they were all out of the cab, they said it was the best part of their night, and they even tipped me.

I drove back to town and met with the bartender who runs the cab and he explained a few things to me, and gave me his credit card so I could fill it with gas.  He said I got to keep the first $60, then the next $90 was for him, and anything more than that we'd split 50/50.

Did I skip the part where he asked for my last name?  If I had ever been in a car accident?  Did I skip the part where he asked for references to prove that I can be trusted with his share of the cash, and his credit card, and his van?

Nope. 

3. I was driving a couple in their fifties from the restaurant back into town and I mentioned I was from Whittier.  "No way!" they exclaimed.  I looked at them in the rearview mirror and said, "What?  Why?"

They lived in Whittier for two years in the early seventies.  They're both doctors.  They met working at Whittier Presbyterian Hospital, where I was born and where my friend Marianne currently works. 

They tipped me $10 for a two-mile ride.  Because once you've lived in Whittier, The Classy enters your bloodstream and never leaves.

4. The van has a cd player.  I didn't bring any cd's to Talkeetna with me because I have my iPod.  Luckily, I bought a cd at the Fairview when I saw Tumbledown House play there about a month ago.  I listened to it all night.  This is my favorite song on the album:

Find more Tumbledown House songs at Myspace Music