Wednesday, January 02, 2008

It was a pleasure watching you navigate you taxi in the holiday traffic past Mahim, Panditji, yet another story of a runaway vagabond with a hundred bucks stolen from a village home, running away because a parent has been unfair; stretching the money till you can’t pay for even the cheapest streetfood, taking on odd jobs carrying cement-brick loads at a construction site, and then as the contractor notices your dedication, watching your luck turn, the quick rise to supervisor, after a few years changing over to the hotel field and learning about its pitfalls firsthand with one more inebriated Arab to entertain; the realization that this was taking you “ the wrong way”, the simple drivers job at a conglomerate chauffeuring the scions of industry and learning their whims and eccentricities, the forced retirement with pay post-strike, the nine months at the pretty star’s as you watched her metamorphose from refined to foul mouthed, and then your own taxi, short on earnings but high on self respect. Yes,your children go to an English school, you proudly tell me. What a contrast to the chiffon and diamonds clad hi fi lunging for the buffet tables later, yesterday evening.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

the gems lying around the glam and glitter...

quin browne said...

you have a way of finding the perfection of the story. it is a joy to open your journal to see what you have here to read...

Portia said...

What a journey lies in one sentence! I feel as though I followed him through years.

Anonymous said...

Ha,ha,ha apparently Phoebe is one of the bright shiny ones roaming about. :)

Be strong, as you have always been, the strength is within you. Sometimes you just need someone to point it out, we all do.

Take Care,
P

austere said...

b- gems of all kinds, diamonds, sapphires and rubies and cat's eyes emeralds. But imagine, whaddastory!

quin- *bashfully* thank you. thatthenicestever.

portia-something to do with the terrific energy this city has? you can be *anything* you want to.

proxima- :) thanks and nowgohearthepodcast.

Anonymous said...

Hi Aust,
who was this interesting person? And who was the nymphet he was chauffering before his own enterprise?
Many of these stories are inspirational, no?
SAthya

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

I love reading these types of posts from you. It's incredibly engaging!!!

I can have a truck driver mouth if pushed the wrong way, but you wouldn't know it upon glancing my way as I delve into sushi and fried chicken. :)

Always,
Crusty~