CAB DRIVERS' BULLSHIT!

CLEVER CAB DRIVERS
1:21AM
07 OCTOBER 2004

Talk about clever cab drivers. Just last Wednesday, after having coffee and watching A Sharks’s Tale (which was really really funny and Christina Aguilera was there) we decided to go to his place so I can rest and he could start with his assignments. You see, the night before, I didn’t have enough sleep. And we met at around 10:30AM, minutes after the mall opened.

So we hailed the first cab. When H&K told him the address we were heading to, the driver declined. Said there was a heavy traffic in that area. Which was like a big crap. That’s why we were taking a cab rather than a jeepney because cabs can roam every street to avoid traffic. I bet the real reason he declined was because of the address. San Juan, Tondo, Manila. Tondo is known for criminals and such. Well, a lot of Filipino movies featured the place as that. I would say even I would be afraid to go to that place. Just hearing its name brings up bad thoughts.

And then we hailed the second one. Same excuse.

Then the third one. Fortunately (rather unfortunately as you would see later on) he agreed to take us to the address. We were relieved and happy. Finally we could just sit back and go home with ease and comfort. I had a small talk with the driver as I usually do, especially when I ride alone, so I would feel comfortable. Then after a few minutes, the driver said something in a low voice. We asked what it was and he repeated it in the same manner. We still didn’t get it so we asked again.

250 na ha! Traffic kasi eh. (Pay me 250 bucks coz there’s a heavy traffic in that area)
What!? Manong naman. Wala po kaming perang ganun kalaki. (We don’t have enough money.)
Kanina ko pa sinasabi, kala ko narinig nyo na ako. (I have been telling you early on about this.)
Di naming narinig. Baba na lang po kami sa tabi. (We didn’t hear anything. We’ll just get off here.)

But unfortunately we were already in a flyover and the traffic was pretty bad. Then we looked at the taxi-meter and it wasn’t running.

Baba nyo na lang kami manong pagbaba ng tulay. Wala pala kayong metro. (Just drop us off after this flyover. You ain’t have a meter running.)
Napasubo na tayo sa traffic eh. Cge kahit dalawang daan na lang. (We are already in a heavy traffic. Okay, I’ll settle for 200 bucks.)
Nyeh! Wala pa nga pong isangdaan ang binabayad naming pag umuuwi kami eh. Baba nyo na lang kami manong paglampas nitong tulay. (Huh!? We usually pay less than a hundred when we take a cab going home. Just drop us off after the flyover, okay.)

After the flyover he stopped the vehicle in one corner. H&K was so irritated that he got off the cab as soon as it stopped. The driver asked for the flag-down rate of 25 bucks as a fee, for the trouble. I asked H&K for 25 bucks but he only left me 20 bucks. My money was all bills and in hundreds so I just gave the driver the 20 bucks.

Kulang ito. (This is not enough.)
Aba manong, buti
nga binayaran
pa naming kayo. Pwede naming kayong ireklamo kasi di kayo
nagmemetro. (You
should be happy we even paid you something. We could
notify the authorities
about you not using the taxi-meter.)

And I slapped the door as hard as I could. It was already raining when we got out of the cab. We stayed for a while at a waiting shed and after smoking a stick, I told him we should move on. The rain hasn’t stopped a bit but I insisted and then we ran to the nearest covered area, walked, went down an underpass then hailed a jeepney. Then we finally got home and H&K was still irritated when he remembers that taxi driver. I also got his plate number. Stored it in my phone so if ever something happened to us, heavens forbid, I have the number of the cab.