The coworker that was taking the midnight shift came early last night, so I had the fortune to be able to leave half an hour early. I was ecstatic.
I called for a cab and stepped outside the building to get some air. The streets were alive with club patrons going in every direction. I know that my workplace is located directly in the so-called Entertainment District, but I never really did grasp just how active this place was on a Saturday night (this was my first shift there during that time period). And, of course, the night was still young, so I can only imagine that it would’ve only got busier.
Well, the cab came and we were off. The increase in revelers meant a spike in the amount of traffic in the area as well. I was kind of in awe of it all. Thing is, my driver was weaving in an out of lanes like a freaking madman. He straddled lanes in attempts to get advantages wherever possible. Without the north-south artery that I mentioned yesterday, he had to take side roads and other ways to get to the big highway. On every street, it felt like he was in a race. I really wanted to look behind me to check out the faces on the drivers that we cutoff/weaved around, but decided against it. Secretly, I can say that it was pretty entertaining.
At some point along the way, I had to readjust myself in my seat. The driver asks if I wanted to stop for coffee or anything. I told him I was fine and didn’t need anything. When we got to the highway, I noticed that he was going considerably slower than I would have predicted from his performance on the side roads. I mean, he was often going 80 on the highway–what with other cars zipping by at 120. The hell? When we got to my exit, he spoke up and said that this ride was tough and that he was really tired. Yeah, it took 2-3x the amount of time it normally would have taken. I told him I understood, but inside I was thinking: “DAMN! You were practically asleep at the wheel??? Holy shit!”
In the end, the cost of the ride was the same as when the highways were open. Well, he got me home in one piece, but seriously, this was insanity. As I left the cab, I told him, “go drink some coffee!” He chuckled as he drove off.
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