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So, I was on the way back to the hotel from the Chicago office today and I got to talking with the cabbie, who was from Nigeria. We were discussing the finer points of life and digressed into talk of what languages he spoke. He spoke a little Spanish and a few words in French, so we parleyed a bit with a smattering of languages before he confided in me that Nigeria was broken because of being a British colony. I didn’t know this fact, I had thought it was a French colony, but that was just my ignorance. The cabbie politely informed me that the neighbouring country of Cameroon, was a former French colony.
As we arrived back at the hotel our great conversation got cut short. He tried to turn around before the covered entrance to the hotel lobby, because he would have been blocked by two other cabs. As we backed back into the street, the cabbie, mumbled, “please don’t hit me, please don’t hit me.” I turned to look behind us as I saw another cab, flying up on us and almost hit us on the passenger’s side. Luckily, he stopped before hitting up. I asked the cabbie, “why did he do that?” The cabbie responded, “Oh, he thought I was stealing his fair.” Then he said, “He could make more money just going around me, but it’s crazy here” I squared up with my cabbie and gave him a good tip. He yelled “Adios”, reminding me of our Spanish conversation and we both parted in jovial spirits.
As, I shut the door, with a smile on my face. I saw the hotel door man escorting a guy out of the hotel. The door man, told him sternly, “Next time, don’t get out of your cab!” As he escorted him back to the cab that almost hit us. I must not have seen this guy get out of his cab and run in the hotel. I can only imagine that he assumed if he went in, he would get the fair, and my cabbie wouldn’t steal it.
As I entered the hotel a guy at the counter greeted me with a friendly hello and I reciprocated. As I walked to the elevator, I thought to myself, “The market is a bear. Competition is fierce even among cabbies.”
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