More Frat Brat Stories.......

Some time ago, when I still ran a Chevrolet Lumina for a taxicab, I had a call from a female UVa student to pick up on "Beta Bridge" as it is commonly called.

This idiot did not tell me she had 9 people. I legally cannot take any more passengers than I am insured for and have seatbelts for. I am insured for up to 6, but my vehicle only had seatbelts for 5.

I have had this situation many times before, so I have implemented an overload charge of $10.00 per extra person as a deterrent. If I am going to do two cars' worth of work, I am going to be paid for two cars' worth. It is only fair.

So this girl got pissed off because I charged her $20.00 extra for 4 extra people. This becomes a two part story.

Two months later, I observed a group of people on the sidewalk just off of the Downtown Mall. It is 4:30 in the morning and just about every cab in town is proceeding to the after hours club, and not even paying any attention to the Downtown Mall, because nothing is open there at that hour.

This moron darts into the street in front of the car, and I am still not sure how I didn't hit him. I told him it wasn't smart to run out in front of a moving car, and he ignored me, saying "Can you take us?" I told him if I took over 5 people I had to charge extra, to which a familiar face said, "Oh, that's that weirdo guy."

Weirdo? Okay. I locked the doors and started driving off. They started yelling and waving for me to stop. Nope. Don't think so. I went around the after-hours club and picked up a nice fare going across town.

Unfortunately, one side of the club is on a one-way street and I had to drive past these morons again. Again they waved and shouted. Again I drove on by.

Five minutes later, my phone rings. It is a customer that happens to be in the same building these jackasses are hanging around, waiting for a cab. I told him that I would call him when I was close, because I knew they would try to take his cab.

He was a little slow getting downstairs, and the same idiot that almost got clipped earlier runs up to me and asks if they can get the cab. I told him I was picking up someone who had specifically called me, and he said, "If they don't show up, can we get you?"

"No," I replied.

"Why not?" he asked.

I leaned out the window and said, "You see your little hoity-toity blonde friend there? I heard her call me a weirdo earlier, which is why I left you earlier. I will be happy to drive past you guys fifty more times tonight without picking you up."

"Why?"

"Because I don't need anyone's money bad enough to let them judge me or disrespect me, that's why. You kids need to learn that you're not better than anyone else in this town. You don't own this cab, you don't own me, you don't own this town, and you sure as hell don't own anyone else in it. Have a nice night."

My customer approached, and away we went into the night.