Friday 27 January 2006

Taxi Driver Story

I needed to go to the other campus to pick up an equipment for the office. Because I took public transport to get work, I didn't have a car to get me between campuses. I needed to catch a cab.

The taxi first of the ranks was driven by middle aged man from a country formerly known as Yugoslavia. He's a thin man with white hair on his goatie. If you can imagine the typical italian henchman in movies then you'd know what he looks like. Just take away the Armani suit and the sunnies and add the receeding hairline and white hairs on the goatie.

This driver was specially interesting because of the unsual way he answered my automatic taxi driver pick up line "Have you been busy today?"

The expected answers usually go like this..
"Yeah.. its been alright.. very busy..very busy.."
or
"Nu. not really... its because its blah blah blah..."
Either way, conversations roll on from this. But today my driver was different. His answer to my cabby pick up line was:
"I dunno. I was late today so I wouldn't really know. Im a lazy driver you see. You actually woke me up from my nap.."
He said it with a smile so I knew he was a cool dude.

His name is Yasglov. Cheery fellow. Theres only so much you can learn from someone you talk to for twenty minutes. Some of his more memorables lines were:

"Australia such a bad country. It feels like prison to me. If I was young and handsome like you, I would enjoy it too. But me, im 57 and old.. i don't like it.. ya?" Hahaha. I think he's trying to hit on me!!

"Everyone wants nice house and nice place ya? And once you have nice house and nice car, what next? You need to get nicer house and nicer car ya? It does not stop.
You know the more you earn the more your partner spends? Thats why Im taxi driver. That way my wife doesn't spend too much ya?"

But he did have some pearls of wisdom.

"We could all be hurt next week you know. Everyone is working so hard that they have forgotten how to live. We should all be working to make a living, not live to work. You know ya? We should see the country, go on holidays, have dinner with good wine.. all with people you like ya?"

He asked me if I was married. No (Don't scare me). He asked me how old I was. Twenty five I said.
"Ah.. still young. No need to rush and getting a girl. Enjoy life ya? Me, I've been married twice. First wife was very good looking. Oooo she was nice ya?
My friends all jealous.
But she wasn't my best friend. Naah.. it was nu guud. Nu guud.
Now my second wife.. yes.. she is good friend. Very good friend.
If you have a best friend for a wife, she becomes very good looking and everything is good. Thats what you want. A best friend for life. Umm. Do we turn here?"

Definitely one of the more animated drivers I've met. Funny guy.
"Thank you for our conversation. I enjoyed driving you around. Now I go back to sleep ya?"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"We could all be hurt next week you know. Everyone is working so hard that they have forgotten how to live. We should all be working to make a living, not live to work. You know ya? We should see the country, go on holidays, have dinner with good wine.. all with people you like ya?"

so true.
i always thought being a cab driver has its charm. seriously, someday when life is all set [hah!], i'll drive my own cab once a week just to have great conversations with random people.

Anonymous said...

Yeah - the driver did mentioned how he enjoyed meeting all sorts of people. But he enjoyed the sleeping between customers the most! :)