With this job, you can never be certain about anything. With any passenger, safety can go right out the window. I've had people who are quite off their rocker and done to much of this or that in the 60's. I picked up a guy just like that at County Psych.
First off, I get there and 3 County Sheriffs are around him. I'm thinking "great, this will be interesting." As I walk up, one officer pulls me aside and says that "he is unstable." Huh! Say What? Then he mentions that he will be following behind me in his police cruiser on the way to Concord Bart, where I am dropping him. So, we got on the road; with the cop close behind.
Let me try and describe this guy for you. He was sitting in the back of my 4-door Lincoln Town car constantly, insistently looking through the rear-window at "something." He couldn't sit his butt in the seat for four seconds in a row. I have never seen paranoia like this before. He was trippin' out. He told me that someone was following us so I curiously looked in the mirror. A few cars but nothing out of the ordinary. I keep driving. All of a sudden, he says "Hello, 911, I have 3 gangmembers following me. I'm in a taxi. I am a gang dropout." That last part, "gang dropout" wasn't what I wanted to hear. So I look in the mirror some more. None of the same cars are behind us which is good. Including the cop. He is nowhere in sight.
At this point, I am not freaking out but definitely frustrated that he bailed on me when I needed him most. I figured that he got a call more important than sticking with me. At this time, the patient is still on the phone with 911 dispatch describing three vehicles that are following us. I let off the gas a bit to see if these cars will pass us. One of them had two passengers consisting of Grandma and Grandpa. I had to chuckle to myself after seeing that. This guy is not right in the head.
He ended up staying on the phone on our arrival to Concord Bart. As I put my Cab in park, he says to the dispatcher "can I have you talk to my taxi driver?" This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I took the phone from him and told her my side of the story without saying more than I wanted him to hear. She instructed me to proceed to Concord Police Department which is less than a quarter of a mile away. She told me that officers would meet me there and they would deal with him.
When I pulled up, two cops were waiting. My passenger got out and started telling his story to one of them while I told mine to the opposite. When I told him, he could do nothing but laugh a little and roll his eyes.
After exiting the P.D. parking lot, I never heard what happened with him. But I have to hope he got the help he desperately needed. I am glad that my Father provided me the strength to remain calm throughout the fare and ultimately resolve the situation safely. Whoever I pick in my cab, I always try to remember to pray for them when they get out. In the minutes I have them, is enough time to learn something about them. This gives me the desire to pray for them in some way.
Try praying for a random person you meet this week. Pray for them with love.
