Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Taxi Driver

Coming back from church, got a taxi with 3 friends. Didn't know what was in store for us, the least that we could expect.

Scene 1
Shirley : Andrew, wear your seat belt.
Taxi Driver: Ah, you don't wear your seat belt is ok, if police come just give 50 ringgit or get a ticket from them. Up to you. You know ah, got one time I take this 4 girls, all didn't wear seat belt. Then I don't know how the police saw but they saw. Then kena stop lor. He ask why no seat belt, then I say I got ah. But he say not you, so I look down, the girl also got ah. But the police say just baru put one. Then I say, no ah, she memang got put one. But he say don't need to talk so much, now what to do. So I look at the girls, ask them what they want to do. They say pay 50, so I take their money and pay. Is up to you want, you want to give you give, you want to take saman you take, don't wanna pay also up to you.
Andrew : Don't worry, they won't know one lah.
Taxi Driver: Ei, who says...Of course they will know. You know my brother never pay his parking ticket one, then one day keep keep keep until 3 years, have to pay one thousand ah! You know last time only 30 cents, then interest interest until become one thousand! Its all recorded in their computer, cannot erase one. They sure know one, some more your i.c number all there. Aiyo, these police know how to earn money one, until my brother have to see hakim. Then my brother say, why so little now become so much one?Then the hakim say, why you still talk so much? Didn't pay is already bad, now still want to talk so much? Better just pay or I double it to 2 thousand. So my brother pay only lor, 1 thousand, what to do.

Scene 2
Taxi Driver: You know ah, some customers very troublesome one. Ask you to speed speed speed. How can I speed? Stuck in traffic jam, got so many cars. They crazy one lah.
Say I late for meeting, late for class. I tell them, next time you late, don't come into
my taxi. Go find another one, because I don't want to speed. It's not good. But they
keep saying, don't worry lah, nothing will happen one, quick quick quick! Then I
really got stop by police, ask me why I speed. What to do? I have to pay lor, the
passenger don't want to help. Then I told the passenger, see you ask me to speed
speed speed, now kena saman dy. The passenger so clever go and tell me "I ask you
to speed, not ask you to speed over limit". Wah! so clever to talk one, I say you can
be lawyer already. Tsk tsk, really know how to talk ah, some people. Next time, I
will ask them put the money here first, then only I speed.

Scene 3
Taxi Driver: Then you know one time got this Mat Salleh, already call me, ask me to wait for
him. Wah, he still eating and drinking with his friend there, taking his time. Then I
wait for him so long. After that when he come in to my taxi, he ask me faster faster,
ask me to reach in 5 minutes, don't wanna miss the check-in for his flight. I thinking
to myself, where can!? The road so small, how you want me to faster reach in 5
minutes, some more got jam you know. Then when reach there he faster hurry
hurry and run inside the airport. This Mat Salleh ah, really crazy fella!

Scene 4
Taxi Driver: Then also go this Indian girl. She say she dont't know what India Ambassador here.
Ask me to faster wor, cos she late for a meeting. Some more ask me to go pass red
light. I say where can, afterwards police catch. Then she say don't worry, I am the
something IMP here, all the police know me. I can easily talk to them, just drive
faster! Wah, how can like that one aw, this Indian girl? Then she just keep asking
me to go when red light. I look out my window, then tell her, I think you better get
out of my taxi. Then she look at me ask why. I say you are not fit to be in my taxi,
my taxi to small, you should go find a bigger one. Then she scold me some more,
say don't know what kind of taxi driver I am. Then I really stop by the road side
ask her to go down, don't even want her money, how can she like that one?

Scene 5
Taxi Driver: You know a lot of drivers never go check their car one. 6 months, 1 year have to go
check once one, but they all never one! They think their car very good, but actually
it's not. It's all inside the rubber burn, our tire going to explode, how we know? We
also never bend our head down to see. Like that day I just a whole car got burnt!
Must be the tire rubber lah, never go check. One time also happen to me, I driving
driving then suddenly saw smoke on my right side. I faster stop by the road side,
come down and check. Then I try to move, got "ch ch, ch ch" sound, then lightning
then I see the tire got spark and a bit fire, luckily I check, if not can burn oh. Like
the other day I go Port Klang the whole car on fire you know.
Me : Was the passenger hurt?
Taxi Driver: That one I don't know, cos I pass by only, didn't really get to see. That's why ah,
there's no such thing as best quality! People say their car how good how good, also
have to check one, then only your can last longer. If not ah, very dangerous! The
gear change also,we keep changing gear not very good for the gear box one. This
gear I already change 3 times you know. That's why I don't like to go mountain
road one. Go mountain like Genting ah, very bad for the gear. So hard you know.
Want to change gear with 4 people in the car, don't wanna say 60 kilo lah, 50 only
also very bad for the car ah. They are not children you know. After got problem
how? So must go check one, if I fly you 4 also fly! not safe...

Scene 6
Taxi Driver: Ah, I got this friend one time arrive from airport then she go take limo back. The
crazy guy go speed 160, 140 you know? scare the h*** out of my friend! She keep
asking him to go slower he say cannot wa, cos got a next person to fetch after that.
Then my friend got angry say, wei! what you talking about? My life is precious ok?
You not much lah, taxi driver only, but my life is important one oh, so better not
speed. So that taxi driver also diam diam lah.

Scene 7
Taxi Driver: Sometimes we got good customers, sometimes got bad one. If good than good lah, if
bad than hard loh. Like got this one time got this Malay lady. Malay you know, this
Malay lady, look like some Datin. Don't know who she is lah, ask me to faster drive.
Then when got a car stop in front of us very long, she ask me to go down the car
and ask the driver to move away. Wah, where can like that?! I tell her, you want
the car to move away you go ask yourself lah. Then she scold me, say what kind of
stupid driver I am. Where can like that? You know some cars just park in the
middle of the road and go down buy goreng pisang. Like that wor! How can? You
want, please park by the side of the road lah, don't just stop in the middle, how the
the other cars wanna move? Then she also ask me stop wait for her but some
goreng pisang. Aiyo....


Scene 8
Taxi Driver: Wah, you all Sunday also got school ah?
Shirley : No, this is hostel, we all live in hostel.
Taxi Driver: Oh. no wonder, I thought you all so "kan lek" Sunday also go to school. If you all
Sunday also go to school I think you all Phd already loh. But is very good one, "Kan
lek" than can get a better job and live easier life. Not so hard. Can fly here, fly there.
Like I go this one aunty, very smart, always fly here, fly there, China, Japan,...
Because she doing marketing surveying, need to see how is the market all. Very
good one ah. Ok, you all reach already, and I think I talk too much, thank you ya.

Today, I got a glimpse of the likes of a taxi driver. I knew it wasn't easy, but never knew it was
THAT hard, until this uncle told us story after story of his job. From rude passengers to those who asks him to go against the law to those who have called him a "stupid driver". I don't know what to say or do, or to even think after this. I'm no millionaire and neither am I saint. Giving him extra money wouldn't help, and there is no advice which I could give. For now, all I can do is say a prayer for him and hope he comes to the knowledge of our saving God. I hope and wish I could see him again. We took down his number. I wonder what was he thinking when he was rattling on and on about his "not-so-favorable-to-some-customers" taxi job to 4 college students who are quite ignorant. Well, after all is said and done, I pray that I can look at taxi drivers through the eyes of God. After all, they are His precious children. And when I meet him again, I'll have the guts to tell him about my Lord. Maybe it could help him in his job. But til then, I'll always remember this particular TAXI DRIVER. And pray that he'll have some nicer customers soon.

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