Taxi Driver Angel

                                              TAXI DRIVER ANGEL

    When I was 23 in a bar in Boston, a bulky bouncer waddled up to me and told me I was too drunk and had to leave. Outside I drank beer in a van with someone I met. Then I blacked out.

    When I came to, I was in a cheap motel room reeking of stale smoke. A guy with long hair paced on a carpet, dotted with cigarette burns and stains. I sat in a chair next to the window, the curtains closed. A dirty bulb hung by a string from the ceiling. There was an old TV and a double bed still made. How much time have I lost?  The strange guy’s fists were clenched and he avoided looking at me.

      “So do we have any beer?” I said, trying to say something neutral.

     He stopped pacing, and stood in the middle of the room. His bloodshot eyes stared at me, like he was shooting lasers. He looked like the devil.

     “We’re getting the hell out of here,” he said, and spun around and grabbed a set of keys off the dresser.

      I grabbed my purse and followed him. When we got outside, the sun had barely woken up. It was cold and the sunlight sharp—the first rays squeaking though. The devil man was my only way back to the city of Boston, and I wondered how far we were from there. I climbed into his van, and he burned rubber. We tore down the quiet street. I took my wallet out of my purse and opened it—empty.   

      “Wild night, huh?” I said.

      The strange guy pulled the van over to the side of the road and stopped. He gripped the steering wheel with a bulging bicep.

     “I’ve had enough of your crap,” he said. His slit eyes looked red like blood. “Get out!”

     “What?” My heart raced.

     “Get out of my van.” He pointed at the passenger door.

      “But we’re in the middle of nowhere.” My voice shook.

     “That’s your damn problem.”  He slammed his open hands on the steering wheel.

     I was afraid he might pull out a gun or a knife or rape me, so I opened the door and stepped out onto a rocky road. There was no sidewalk, and I shivered as I watched the devil zoom off. I looked down, and there were scraps of metal next to my foot. There was no phone around—I didn’t see a gas station or a store. All I saw was deserted road. It was cold, and all I had on was a T-shirt. I wrapped my arms around my chest, and rubbed my arms trying to warm myself. My head pounded, my mouth was parched and I started crying.

     Out of nowhere, a taxicab drove up the street, and pulled over to where I was standing.

     “You need a ride somewhere?” The taxi driver said through the open driver’s window.

     “Yeh, but I don’t have any money.” I brushed a tear from my cheek.

     “No problem.” He smiled. “Get in.”

     I opened the door and climbed into the back seat. It was warm and I felt protected.

     “Some asshole just left me here in the middle of nowhere,” I said to the soft eyes in the rear view mirror.

     “Really?” His voice calmed me and there was soothing singing on the radio. “Where do you need to go?”

     I thought about that for a minute. I knew the guy I was staying with would pick me up if I called him. He lived twenty minutes outside Boston. 

     “You can drop me off at Kenmore square,” I said. “By that big sign.”

     We drove for about fifteen minutes. I wondered what I would have done if the taxi driver hadn’t come. When we got to Kenmore Square he pulled over—I was safe. He turned around to face me. His eyes were a deep earth brown.

      “I can’t thank you enough,” I said. “You saved my life.”

      “Take my card and some change so you can call someone.” He handed me a handful of coins and a business card. “Call me if you ever need another ride.” 

        “Thank you so much,” I said and grasped the money and his card in my hand.

         “Remember Jesus loves you.”  He smiled and his eyes glistened in the early morning light.

       I got out of the car, and when I looked back over my shoulder, the taxi was gone. A shiver ran from the bottom of my spine to the top of my head, and it came to me—I just met an angel. I went to a phone booth outside the convenience store, and dropped some quarters in and dialed my friend's number.  I looked at the business card in my hand.

     Dave’s taxi service. Serving Jesus and His children. Jesus saves.

     I believed in Jesus once. What happened to my faith?  What happened to me?

       

     I was a child when I began searching for spirituality. My dad moved out when I was seven and I had a lot of fear and anxiety about the future. My mom always talked about our lack of money, and fear she’d lose her job. When I was 11, I told Mom I wanted to go to Catechism classes with my best friend Kristie so I could get confirmed at my church, Trinity Lutheran. Mom said we were only Lutheran because that was the closest church to our house, but I wanted to be confirmed there. I went to services there Sundays with Kristie and my sister. 

     My mom finally said okay, and I started late, but they let me into the class anyway.  I wanted to learn as much as I could, and loved the green book they gave me. It was full of stories and pictures of Jesus and his disciples, and listed The Ten Commandments.  I also saved up coins I found at the bottom of Mom's purses and around the house, until I had enough money to buy The Living Bible, which most of the other kids in my church had.

.     That summer a school bus came I attended a Bible school and asked Jesus to be my Savior. I called the number they gave us and everyday heard a different Bible verse. Just hearing them made me feel safe.

    In high school, I stopped going to church and gave up my search for spirit totally. I became immersed in a new journey— I became an alcoholic and an addict.

           At age 29, I was given a choice at my work: seek help for my substance abuse problem or lose my medical license. I realized something had been missing for a long time—spirituality. Suddenly I realized God had never left my side. He sent the angel taxi driver, and protected me all those years.

     On January 5^th, 1992, I prayed before I went to sleep.

     “Dear God,” I said. “Please help me stop drinking and using. I want you back in my life. Amen.”

     From the next day on I lost all desire to drink. It was a miracle. I’ve been clean sober for 22 ½ years and now help other addicts.