MY FAVORITE RIDERS IN SEPTEMBER

 WHO KILLED MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.?

I love history and my rider gave me a rare treat.  Driving him and his wife to the airport I heard a fascinating story. It was his first Uber ride and it immediately became one of my all-time favorite rides.  Married for 55 years, the couple from Tennessee was entertaining. I asked them what the secret to a successful marriage was and he immediately said, "Yes, dear." She laughed a little and said, "It's important to do things together."

He told me he was a corrections officer for thirty years, men's prison, women's prison and skid row. He immediately told me that one of the prisoners that he had was James Earl Ray who had confessed to killing Martin Luther King Jr. and three days later said that he was set up. My rider told me, "No one in the prison thought he was guilty. The other inmates could have killed him anytime, but they only cut him up so he could go to the hospital." He told me that he spoke with Ray's son frequently and that Ray had a suitcase with $40,000 when he was finally captured after his plane was delayed. Ray wrote a book and signed it for my rider who was offered $500 for it, but he kept it.  

After looking the story up, I found out that Ray convinced Martin Luther King's family that he was innocent and they tried to get him a trial. Since he confessed immediately, he was never tried for the crime. I'm not a believer in conspiracy theories, but getting this kind of information made it a fascinating ride.

SINGING COUNTRY

When I picked up the three women to go to Barefoot Landing, I didn't expect anything unusual was about to happen.  It's one of our big tourist locations in Myrtle Beach and they told me they were going to a concert. I asked, "Who's performing?" The woman all the way in the back said, "I am." Lorrie Morgan has been performing since she was 13 years old and said, "I've been on the road for 45 years." Her manager and one of the members of her band were with her and she was going on in a couple hours. I asked her who her favorite singers were and she told me Keith Whitley (Her late husband)          and Tammy Wynette.  Over her career she has had three number one hits and another eleven top ten hits.  She has performed with Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, The Beach Boys, and Dolly Parton to name a few stars. She was very nice and I enjoyed having the three of them on the ride.

THE ABNORMAL COUPLE

He has been in Army for 18 years and they are constantly moving from one place to another one. "Our favorite two places to live were Italy and Germany, the culture and the ability to travel were great," they told me. Their two children have had an unusual, but very valuable education and many adventures.  On one adventure the oldest daughter who was 5 ft. 2 inches tall was skiing with her dad. They had to hike up a mountain to get to the top, but there was seven feet of snow. Her dad put her on his back to get her there. He's had many adventures, but told me just one. He jumped out of a plane 1,200 feet up and his parachute did not work. Freefalling to the ground he said, "I  pulled the secondary chute, but it was so late it just protected me some when I hit the ground. I got up and got my stuff and walked to my troop. They saw I was cut and bleeding on my face and got me to the hospital where they told me I broke my spine." He didn't want to go to the hospital, he thought he was okay.  He's a daredevil and enjoys doing dangerous things. His wife is very supportive and she said to him, "If you're going to die, do it in the next two years so I can collect the extra benefits." They are close and her comment made him laugh-he's probably heard it before. 

MAKING PEOPLE SEE BETTER

My wife and kids have been trying to get me to get my eyes checked for quite awhile and I just haven't gotten around to it. I read a lot and haven't had a problem reading, but they seem to want me to get glasses. I finally saw an optometrist-in my car of course. The optometrist from Utah told me that, "Being an optometrist was the best decision I ever made." He told me that he helps people, "See as best they can and it's very rewarding." I told him that my family has been encouraging me to get my eyes checked and probably get glasses.  He said, "Not everyone needs glasses." When I asked him how many people in their 70's and 80's don't need glasses," he replied, "None of them." I had him laughing when he got out of the car when I told him, "I'm giving you a list of my favorite rider comments, because, how often do you get to give an optometrist something to read?" He impressed me as a dedicated professional and I think he enjoyed talking with me as much as I enjoyed talking with him.

THE COMMUTER

Originally from Honduras, I took the man to the airport for his flight to Denver.  He works in Denver in construction, but his daughters live in Charleston.  They can't get enough workers in the Denver area, so his company has imported many workers from around the country.  Room and board is paid for and he gets paid very well.  He's a hard worker and is usually working 12 hours a day and seven days a week so they can finish their project. He's been working since he was 16, but the 34-year-old man misses his daughters. He keeps in touch with them every day and is saving money to take care of them and open up a restaurant in the future.