The month of November was definitely slower in terms of driving for Uber, so I started driving for Lyft also to get a few extra rides each week. Uber is more popular in this area, but 90 miles south of here in Charleston, South Carolina, I've been told that Lyft is more popular.
These are my favorite stories from my riders for the month of November:
THE COLLEGE STUDENT
At 23 years old, she is about to graduate and she wants to be a marine biologist. Her goal is to work in Hawaii and she has some friends and contacts there. What surprised me was that she was planning her fourth trip to Hawaii. This is one place I've always wanted to go, but at 23 she's been there three times already! Through some unfortunate circumstances and saving some money with her sister, she was able to make multiple visits to Hawaii despite the expensive trips. She really believes she will be able to get a job there and is looking forward to living there next year. It's expensive to live there, but it has to be cheaper than traveling back and forth. She was very confident and I believe she'll be able achieve her goal.
THE ENTERTAINER
It was 6:30 am on a Sunday when I got the ride from the Hampton Inn. I was sitting in a parking lot across the street and I was at hotel in less than two minutes. A young woman in her mid 20's walked out and she was dressed in a fancy, black ensemble.(I have no clue if it was a dress or skirt, since it was still dark out, but it was sleeveless) She was very enthusiastic for early Sunday morning and when I started to pull away she said, "I'm going to entertain you-with a funny story." She had my attention and told me she was at a wedding last night and had too much too drink. She got a ride to her hotel, but could not find her key and they told her that she didn't have a room there. She was confused and not thinking clearly, so the person who drove her let her sleep for the night in their room. This morning the hotel told her that she was staying at the Hampton Inn six miles north of here.
As I drove towards the other hotel, I could not understand where it was and why they would have the same hotel in two locations so close to each other.(neither one was near the water) My rider was wide awake and she gave me perfect instructions to the hotel which was hidden behind a mall and a bank. There was no sign on the main road for the hotel either. No wonder she couldn't find it the night before! I've been passing this intersection for the last eleven months. It's only a few miles from our house and I never knew the hotel was there, and I was always sober.
THE FATHER AND THE 4-YEAR OLD
This could be a Disney script, it was that good. When I pulled up to my rider I saw a man with very, very long hair and a little boy. They were going to the airport and the father had a car seat and seemed very organized. He told me he worked in hospital in San Francisco and was headed home. Immediately, I made the connection of the long hair and San Francisco, but I was surprised when he told me he was a doctor in the emergency room.
He was trying to keep his son awake so he would sleep on the plane. I asked if he could count to ten and the father didn't think so. I asked the boy, "how many fingers do I have as I put one up." He replied, "one" and I put up two fingers and he said, "two." It didn't take long for him to count to ten that way and we made a big deal about it. I told the father to take out the pirate brochure behind my seat and maybe he would like that, which he did. There was one picture where the pirates were fighting and there was a fire and the father said, "if you were in that picture, what would you do?" The four year old said, "I would help them with the fire. I want to be a fireman."
I'm pretty sure we don't have to worry about this little boy. He stayed awake and I'm pretty sure he's going to have a bright future. And the Dad? He was doing a great job and seemed unfazed in handling his little boy.
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