SWEET SPOT

SWEET SPOT

A lot of the suspicions people have about cab drivers are true.  But the truth be known, people bring it upon themselves.  My cab does not have a meter.  We operate on a zone system.  This allows me to be flexable and set my own fares.

How do I decide how much to charge?  I look at people.  Who are they and where are they going.

do they look like they have money?  Sometimes it's so obvious.

For example, I was driving in a Southern city.  It had a lively cultural scene and a restaurant row.  This night was Paris in the twenties.  A light rain was falling but it wasn't cold just misty. I'm parked in front of the door of a pricey restaurant.

A group of people come out.  They are laffing and talking after finishing their meal.  Because it is raining they decide to take my cab rather than walk the three blocks to a pricey hotel.  Can't under charge these folks.  The correct company fare would have been seven dollars and fifty cents.

It's two men and two women.  One of the men is black.  He sits in the front.  They immediately begin talking about how great the meal was.  The black guy starts talking about how big his piece of meat was.

According to him the guy at the next table was jealous.

Then it was he had been indecisive on what to order, the steak Dianne or a fillet.  He said he was torn  between the Dianne and the fillet. I bet he was, sounded nasty to me.  I'd like to eat Dianne's fillet myself.

At the hotel blackie and the guy in the back started competing to pay.  I was asked, how much ?  I told them seven dollars.  They started going for their money.  I was a little stoned.  I thought well to do people, good restaurant, fine hotel, everybody is full and in a good mood so I said....each.

There was an awkward pause. The black guy said, how about fifteen.  I said;  "You talked me into it you silver tongue devil".  He paid me.  The other guy said, seven dollars per person was highway robbery.  I said, "Ya got a good deal then" and drove away.