3. the cabbie

“Where am I taking you?” the cabbie inquired.  He turned off the main road, and proceeded slowly down a side street.  He saw the wad of cash his new fare had pulled out.  He could feel the desperation in her voice.  Anyone could.  And he could read her body language.  This was not a criminal to fear, riding in his cab.  “You must be in some kind of trouble.  I will help you”.  His accent was thick.  He wore a blue turban on his head and had a long thick gray beard.

Jasmine broke.  For the first time since her father’s funeral, she broke.  Tears streamed down her face; the cabbie could see them in the rear-view mirror.  She looked at his eyes watching her tears, and cried “I don’t know!  They are trying to kill me!”  Tears turned to sobs as she looked down into her own lap.  “And my daughter!  I worry they will kill my daughter!”  She sobbed more.

The cabbie did not turn around to look at her; instead he focused on the road and sped up a bit, just above the speed limit, and took a right turn.

“Been there, done that” he said in his thick accent.  “That is everyday life in my home country.  You can’t give up” he said flatly.

Jasmine sobbed some more, but a teeny spot of warmth — hope — began to grow in her heart.

The cabbie drove aimlessly down the road without speaking for another 2 minutes, and turned onto another road.

The cab turning took Jasmine out of her little bubble that she had retreated into within her mind, back to reality.  “Leo!” she suddenly exclaimed.  Yes, Leo!  He would help her.  No one knew about her and Leo.  He wasn’t the usual John arranged by her usual pimp.  In fact, she didn’t even charge him the next morning; she refused to accept his cash.  Instead they went to breakfast together and he bought her pancakes.  They talked for 2 hours, before he said he had to go.  He even kissed her gently, oh so gently, on the cheek.  “If you ever need anything, I mean anything, let me know” he said as they parted.  She wasn’t about to get seriously involved with a married man, in any way; no way, no sir, no how!  That was 5, or was it 7 years ago already?

“Do you have a cell phone I can use?” she asked the cabbie.

He handed her his smartphone without hesitation.  “The unlock code is 4589.”

“Can I use Facebook to look up an old friend?  I mean, can I use the internet and make a call?”

“Whatever you need lady.  Don’t worry.”  There was something almost "cute" about the combination of his thick accent, his turban, and the smile on his face when he said "don’t worry" that calmed her a bit.

She found Leo online in less than a minute.  His Facebook account even had his home address.  He didn’t mention to her he was a college-level physics tutor.  And … professor?!?!  Wow.  Was this the smart thing to do, bother this high-profile guy?  What other choice did she have?

“Here is the address I need to get to” she said with a noticeable hint of desperation in her voice that she was trying to hide; trying to be strong.  She handed the phone back to him.  He looked at it, spun a U-turn without hesitation, and sped away.

“It might take an hour, maybe two, depending on traffic on the bridges and tunnels.  Just relax.  You look like you could get some sleep!”

Jasmine suddenly realized the sun had set.  Her head was spinning with thoughts of fear.  She was supposed to be picking up her daughter within the hour from Susan’s house.  Susan was cool, though, and knew this new job was going to be unpredictable.  But the men in black suits!  She had to get there first, but needed help.  That was an hour away on train, but they would be looking for her on the train.  By cab it could take 3 hours if traffic doesn’t want to cooperate.  “I need to call my daughter!”

The cabbie in the blue turban handed the phone back to her.  She dialed Susan’s number.  The phone rang once, twice, three times, and … voicemail.  Jasmine’s heart sank.  She hung up and dialed again.  The phone rang once, twice, and then she heard Susan’s calm voice.  “Hello?”

“Susan this is Jasmine.  I can’t say nothin’ right now, but…”  What could she say?  All powerful psychopathic killers were coming for them?  Run?  She started sobbing outright again.

“What’s wrong sistah?”

“I can’t say.  Just don’t let my baby go home right now!  Don’t answer your door or talk to strangers on the phone.  Maybe even go out for dinner or something, I don’t know…”  She started sobbing again.

“Whaaat?”

“I don’t know, you can’t go out to eat all night long … I don’t know!”  A hint of panic began to creep back into her mind and her voice.

“Whaaat?  Whatchu you talkin’ ’bout girl?”  Real worry was creeping into Susan’s mind and voice.  Jasmine was the strongest woman in her neighborhood.  She didn’t cry.  That was not her.

“Just tell Tom to keep his shotgun loaded and ready.”

“Whaaaaaat?!!! I thought you hated guns, girl?  Tom thinks you hate him!  What’s this about?”

“I can’t say!” she almost screamed in desperation, but caught herself.  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Jasmine, the pizza guy is here, and I need to go pay him.  What are you doing, girl?”

“I'll be there soon to get Tammy.  Just keep her safe for me, please, keep her safe for me, please, please…” Her pleading turned to sobs.

“Jasmine, Tammy is fine.  She will be O.K.  Calm down.  Everything is fine.”

“NO!  It’s not fine!” Jasmine snapped.  “I'm sorry sistah.  No, it’s not fine.”  She sobbed a bit more.  “Please keep Tammy safe” she asked again, trying to calm her voice.  “I gotta go.  I will be there a soon as I can”.  She didn’t wait for a reply and hung up the phone.

Tom walked up to Susan.  “Who was yelling at you on the phone?” he inquired.

“Jasmine.”

“Jasmine?  You’re kidding, right?  Even when she yells at me about gun control, and you know how passionate she is about that, she is calm and quiet as a mouse!”

“No.  Tom … get your gun and load it.  Now.”  Susan looked him square in the eye.  The seriousness on her face almost made him shudder.  His neck and shoulders stiffened.  He could feel the hair on his arms and back stand up.  He stared back squarely into her eyes.  He knew Susan hated having a gun in the house, but accepted it in "the compromise of marriage".

Tammy and Allison ran into the room.  “The pizza guy is here!”

“O.K. sweetheart.  I’m coming.”


Back in the cab, Jasmine handed the phone back to the cabbie.  “Get some sleep” he said.  Somehow she couldn’t argue.  She trusted him, but even if she didn’t, exhaustion was taking over, and she knew she had to sleep.  She had been up at 4:00AM to get Tammy to school and still have enough time to prepare for the "new job" she did not want to be late for.  She curled up in fetal position on the back seat, closed her eyes, and almost instantly and fell into deep slumber.