The Enlightened African American Cab Driver – in Boston
It seems that chance encounters often offer the best opportunity for seeing the world from another point of view….and so it was with a 10 minute cab ride I took in Boston today!
The driver invited me to sit in the front and right away started with friendly talk. Within a minute, he had told me that he was from Cameron (Africa) and had spent 35 years in this country. He had two sons here who are doing very well in college and business. By the 3rd minute, he was telling me about how he often talks to, and even disciplines, his fares. For instance, he told me one story about picking up three men of college age and how two of them referred to females as “bitches”. When the third man was paying the fare and the other two had stepped away, he asked him why he hung out with “friends” like that and told him that since we ALL came from a woman, that all women should be treated as our sisters or our mothers. The man agreed with him and thanked him for his insight.
He then mentioned picking up another fare after a Red Sox game at Fenway. This fella was 25 years old and immediately started telling the driver “you people come here for money and know nothing about America….you are not in the military fighting for us…blah, blah, blah”. The driver calmly informed the young man that he was 55 years old and had bad joints, so could not fight in the military. He also told the dude “Son, I’ve been here 35 years as a adult. You’ve only been here 25 years, many of those in diapers and relatively few as a adult – so I would say I know more about America than you do”. The guy listened carefully and they became good friends during the long cab ride.
It makes my heart glad to know that folks like this cabbie are driving around every day and fearlessly injecting a little truth into the lives of random people. He really is a special person, and I am proud….as is he…to be fellow Americans.
Tags: politics, religion, spirit
That certainly was nice of you to write about this “enlightened” man.
Also it was nice of you to speak to him at all really. Most of the people in my cab stay on the blackberry the whole way.
Thanks!
Mike
http://southiecab.com
http://southbostontaxi.com
I grew up in a very small town. It’s in my nature to engage people; I’m the person in the elevator or “in line” who looks you in the eye and smiles. I’m the one who will speak first. It’s who I am and it’s why I think “strangers” are just people I’ve yet to meet. Naive? maybe. But it sure has opened doors for me over the years.
I lived in a community with many older/elderly citizens. Being “polite” was expected. I never presumed familiarity with older citizens, always using “Mr.” or “Mrs.” So&So. To this day I “err” on the side of formality and several of my regular customers have voiced their appreciation before telling me I may address them by their first names.
My favorite story from my youth was a post office encounter with an older gentleman in town. I was 15 and had begun wearing my hair in a chignon because it was more convenient when working in the barn with my horse. I stopped in to pick up the mail and was greeted thusly,
“Why, don’t you look lovely with your hair up, dear! There’s a good deal more mystery to a woman with her hair up than one with it down.”
Courtesy, manners, a sense of humor, and knowing how to phrase the needed comment are the cornerstones that define our humanity. What a lovely story to share, Craig!