Taxiiiiiiiii

Owing to the fact that I still don’t like to drive up to now, notwithstanding the offer for car incentive by my company I’ve taken to commuting rather seriously. It’s such a hassle, really, but I figured, better to be hassled commuting than to be stressed out driving. Besides, there are days when commuting becomes surprisingly fun that you just can’t help but blog about it.  In fact, my friend Rosa has been urging me write about my commuting (mis)adventures because she knows how colorful my life as a commuter can sometimes get.

I remember one time when I rode an FX on my way home and the driver wanted us (his passengers)   to go down right in the middle of the flood because he didn’t want to proceed anymore. But I was then wearing my new pair of gold shoes so I decided that I will not allow myself (and my shoes) to be bullied just like that.  So I had to speak up and invoke what I vaguely remembered from my two units of Transpo law(which was 1/4 of  a unit, actually, given how my professor conducted the class). I told him he cannot do that legally because he was a common carrier (yes, I used that term on the poor FX driver) and when he berated me for not showing him a copy of the law, I retorted by saying, “Bakit, ang doktor ba laging may dalang gamot?” As if on cue, some crazy guy inside the FX deemed it proper to applaud me and all the rest followed just like in the movies. The argument ended and we all silently reached our destination.  I swear, these things happen only to me.

And then , when the entire Metro Manila was stuck in traffic because of unexpected heavy rains, the driver of the cab I was riding was being rude and kept complaining about the traffic as if I was the one who caused it. He urged me to go down and take the LRT instead, and since I was so tired to argue,  I took the less antagonistic approach and told this lie in my pitiful voice, “Hindi ho ako pwede mag LRT. Buntis ho ako” He became nice and polite after that. I texted  a friend about it and she replied, “I swear, these drivers have a way of bringing out the best and the worst in you.” I simply had to concur.

But with all my funny anecdotes, today’s cab driver took the cake. I knew from the way he was singing along with the song “This girl has turned into a woman” that he was— you’ll never believe this— gay! A gay cab driver, how cool is that? He made all these witty remarks that had me laughing all the way. Like when a truck was moving ever so slowly in front of us, he said with all the gayness he could muster, “Ay mamang truck, wag mo ko harangan, chuchurvahin kitaaaa!” and then he stepped on the gas, overtook the truck, stopped at the next red light and said “Ay, na-tense ako teh, kala ko, aabutan na tayo dun ng three-o-clock habit!” Haha. He also asked me what my job was and when I answered, he turned to look at me as if to size me up, and said “Bongga!!! Astig-astigan ang lola! Pakkkk!” But the classic line was when he drove through the maze of jeepneys along Faura and, upon finally reaching the gate of my office, he inhaled deeply and said dramatically in his bedroom voice “O di ba? Parang Imortal lang!” Haha.

I wasted no time giving him  a tip and telling him in Tagalog that some gays annoy, some impress, but he downright made my day. What else would he reply but this: Echossss!