Passengers, they’re more than just customers, they can be a livelihood, a commodity, precious cargo that you are transporting to make their lives easier and so you the driver can put food on the table. My first customers were lawyers from Colorado, they were chartering a rather expensive yacht out from the port of Bellingham. They had just dropped off a car rental. They flew into Seattle first and then hired a car instead of flying. Worked out cheaper than getting a plane. In nine days I’ll be picking them up again. I gave them my second last business card. Going to get more made, but I’m going to add my website and perhaps a new logo to it. A logo I want to take further into a whole new realm that I never thought I’d venture into. America, the land of the free and the land of opportunity. Sometimes you got take life by the balls and just squeeze. Crude yes I know, but the pathways you can take in the USA are endless. Never thought about it. There are movies and then there is reality. More to come on this later.
After dropping the couple off at Anthony’s Seafood Restaurant, I picked up two chaps from the airport. They were heading to Lummi island. Up from Seattle, they also drove up from the big smoke. They had plans of getting the vehicle ferry, but unfortunately it wasn’t available due to maintenance. So only the passenger ferry was available. How inconvenient, they has to drop their rental off at the airport and uber to the island. Lucky for me, unlucky for them. Yes that’s right to read correctly one ferry for vehicles for an entire island, no back up. I told them if they need me for when they return I’ll be available for them. They were extremely grateful and I gave them my number.
Next passenger was a bunch of VIPs that needed to get sloshed in town. I was super jealous of them, because i wanted to join them, but I had to work my butt off so I can have enough for bills and eventually my birthday.
After dropping these hooligans off, you know who you are. I had a lady from Virginia, who came to America from El Salvador, way before the Trump administration. She was very intriguing. Carmen was here name, it made me think of Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. I picked her up at the Penske truck rental near the airport, she was dropping it off for a friend. Now she needed me to take her to Wal-Mart. A car rental was sitting there for her. We talked about El Salvador, but she could barely remember it. I asked her if there was ruins there, like other Central American countries, she couldn’t remember except for the Spanish architecture. As we arrived she said the rental is on the back of that truck in the parking lot over there. Wait what? Yes it was one of those car transport trucks, with one car on it. Hers. It was the one of the strangest deliveries I’d ever experienced. Why the car on the back of the truck? Why specifically that black vehicle? I never found out what she did, but it must have been important and intriguing. Perhaps she was Carmen San Diego? Hmmm…
In amongst me dropping her off, I got a ping from a guy picking up groceries at Wal-Mart. He was very into science, in fact we discussed physics, chemistry and biology. I told him about me struggling with the existence of God when I was a kid. He said he understood that and how evolution makes more sense. My belief that the universe is more of a God because it creates and destroys all the time. This is what settled my mind at the time. It helped me sleep.
My next two customers were just as intriguing as my last ones. You have a nurse and a cyber security professional. I said oh do you work for McAfee? He replied their one of our clients and I said what do you think about the founder and all the crazy stories. They said yes we heard he allegedly murdered people and became heavily involved with drugs in Belize. His business partner apparently also sold them both a boat. Right here in Bellingham. What are the chances? We talked more about the possibility of hidden gold or cocaine in their boat. They paused for a moment and said no probably wouldn’t have come through customs. These passengers talked about a guy they knew, who met Dave Chappell at a strip club after a comedy gig in Seattle. Told everyone to keep quiet about it and that they can hang if they don’t talk about it to anyone. Oops cats out of the bag now.
After I dropped them off at their house I raced over to the airport to get the next flight. Then sparked possibly another intriguing conversation with a gentleman. He flew in from a delayed flight from Houston via Seattle. A storm was inhibiting flights at the time. Now this gentleman is a monument restorer. He fixes bronze and aluminium statues across the USA. I found this incredibly intriguing and wanted to know more. He told me he’s looking for local people down the track to assist him with certain restorations. He asked me for a card, so I gave him my last business card. He will train me and pay me to travel across the USA and fix statues. He had been to Phoenix, then Minneapolis, Houston, then finally Seattle and eventually Bellingham. Fixing statues. He cleans then, polishes them and actually revitalizes them. How fascinating. I told the man my story prior to all this, including that I was fired at one of the more stressful times of my life. He could tell I wasn’t an idiot by any means, in fact he even said that. Hopefully he contacts me soon. It sounds like a great opportunity.
Next I got a couple of students heading home from the bar. Apparently they had an uber scheduled but couldn’t wait any longer. They got me instead.
After they had been plonked off at their apartment I got a Western Washington University rugby player. He knew I was an Aussie and asked me I liked Ruggers! Yeah mate of course I do, I used to play the odd game here and there when I was younger. He told me to come down to watch a few games, I said I definitely should. Be keen to see the local talent.
Then I had an environmental engineer in my car. He was involved with telling people how to recycle. He goes to different organizations and tells them how to recycle properly. Fair enough. Hmmm…
Then I had a nurse. Shortly after her I had a lady who works at a gem shop. She wanted to hire me. Funny. Me working at a gem shop, here’s my number text me when you’re sober.
Then I had a guy who was a concrete who looked and sounded like the actor Paul Rudd, he was intrigued about my accent and where I was from. We discussed concrete in B’ham. Including several sidewalks he was particularly proud of. Here is one I did. Oh and that one too. That one was tough. Etc.
Then boom my 500th rider! I had a boiler maker and bartender at Studio B. Turned into 502 passengers.
Then there was Wolfgang. Such a cool name. He liked using the word mooch.
Then there was a Cobbler, you know the people that fix shoes and belts. His father started the business in B’ham 25 years ago. He learned everything from his father. He’ll carry on the tradition. Funnily enough he was from El Salvador as well! Never met anyone from that country, except two in a night.
My second last passenger loves Aussies and attempted to do the accent the whole time. It didn’t work out, but he eventually tipped me more than the far was worth.
Finally my last two passengers were a couple of pilots ready to fly out for an early morning flight on their private jet. They work for a company called Wheels Up. It’s Uber for rich people. Helicopter or jet, you can go in and book a flight simply. You do have to pay an annual membership fee though. Isn’t that interesting though? Maybe that will be available for us plebs one day?
4.30 am 16 trips and way over my daily quota.
Next day I have a VIP the Singaporean fellow and then Sunday the Lummi Island chaps I dropped off. One gave me Chinese egg tarts and the other a fantastic review. Essentially Day 55, 56 and 57 are joined together here because I just took only one trip per day. Day 56 will be now Monday.
