THE EXTRACTION: The day after I decided I was going to get a tooth pulled, I was involved in a different extraction. I arrived at a house to pick up a guy, but he texted me and said my rider was a woman who did work for him. He said she would be right out. A friendly guy came out and said she was getting her bags together. A few more minutes passed and the guy paying for the ride called me. He wanted to make sure I wasn't leaving. The woman was involved with someone and there were drugs involved and she had to get out. He told me he would tip me $50 to stay. That was convincing and I didn't feel I was in any danger. Another guy was working on a car on the driveway, so I waited. The girl came to the door and waved me off saying she has a lot of things going on and she doesn't need a ride. The guy paying for the ride was upset and pretty much begged me to stay. He contacted her and convinced her to take the ride. After about a twenty minute wait the woman came out and I drove her 25 minutes to the guy I talked to on the phone and he tipped me $50. I really didn't deserve that much, but I was happy to receive it.
THE COUPLE IN SYNC: Every once in awhile I have a couple get in my car and you can tell that they really belong together. They are finishing each other's sentences, joking with each other and really enjoying each other's company. They had just celebrated their 2nd anniversary and they had me laughing at many of their comments. They worked at a big company, but did not know each other. They also lived in the same apartment complex and met sitting at the pool. He was not looking for a girl, because he said, "there are a lot of golddiggers out there." They didn't see each other until two months later when he was carrying a large frame in the elevator and trying to close the door. He didn't see her and she was trying to get into the elevator which she did by putting her foot in the door. He said, "I didn't remember meeting her before." At that point her eyes were rolling around in circles which cracked me up. Two months later she said to him, "we know we love each other, we need to make some plans." He was an executive at the company. She said, "He had to quit his job when we got married and he opened up his own business and now we make a shit load of money." Both of them said whatever came to mind and they were clearly go-getters. As the ride ended I said to them, " "How about you stay in my car and make everyone laugh the rest of the day? " She replied: "Why don't you come with us on our summer road trip this year?" I'm pretty sure either one would have been a lot of fun.
SEAN: It was dinner time on a busy Saturday night in Charleston when I accepted the ride. My rider was thrilled and he texted me a message: ""You're a lifesaver-I'm definitely going to tip you." When he was about to get in my car he thanked me again. He had returned from a date and was heading to another one when his battery died. I figured I'd have some fun with him. When I pulled up to him and he started to get in, I said, "Before I give you the ride, what is the name of my only son?" (Panic in his eyes) He said, "Sean?" Me: You have yourself a ride!"(still waiting on the tip) He was a very outgoing guy and we had a good conversation. I hope I pick him up again, I'll ask him the same question and see what he says. Maybe he'll even tip me!
THE AMWAY RIDES: Sooner or later it was bound to happen. Over thirty years ago my wife and I were Amway distributors where we sold some products and started other people in their own business. I picked up a couple at the Marriott Hotel and found out they were in from Texas for leadership seminar. When I realized they were in the Amway business I was able to remember many of the names of the people I knew thirty years ago including a couple they work with today. It was a lot of fun catching up on what they were doing and also on the Amway business which operates in over 100 countries and does close to 10 billion dollars a year in business. Betsy Devos, who was just The Secretary of Education, is the wife of Dick Devos, who's Dad Rich Devos, was one of the founders of Amway.
About two hours later I drove another couple from Texas to the airport and they were also in town for the meeting. They asked me several questions about my experiences in the business and I enjoyed talking to them also. It was a long time ago and they brought back a lot of good memories. I started reading positive books when I started in Amway and I had a book in the car that I was re-reading and showed it to both couples.
SHAKESPEARE TRIVIA: The girl in her 20's that I picked up was definitely different. She had a male first name from her grandfather. "The name really fits me. I'm unique. I enjoy reading Shakespeare while I listen to classical music." I told her I enjoy Shakespeare too and said, "let's play Shakespeare Trivia!" She didn't seem very confident, but I told her she would do fine. I said, "what play was this famous quote in- "what's done, cannot be undone." (one of my favorite quotes) She guessed, "MacBeth," and she was right. I said, "for the second question, who said those words?" She guessed, "Lady MacBeth," and she was right again. I said, "and now we go to the bonus round." That comment made her laugh and we were out of time. You never know where the conversation will end up on a ride. I'm pretty sure she had as much fun as I did.
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