JUNE'S MOST MEMORABLE RIDERS

 

A STINGRAY COULD NOT STOP HER

One of my last rides of the month turned out to be one of the most inspirational rides in my six years of driving. I was driving two young women from a bachelorette weekend in Charleston. One woman from New York, had a crutch and a very challenging weekend experience.

Walking in the ocean she stepped on a stingray and it stung her in the calf and went right through her.  It was extremely painful, but she was able to get good medical attention.  Apparently, in the ocean you're not supposed to walk, but instead you should "shuffle" your feet because it warns the stingrays and they stay away from you.  Also, you need to put hot water on the wound which draws the venom out, if you ever need that info.

She was walking with a crutch and although I didn't get a good look at it, she may have had some kind of boot on her leg. She needs to have it looked at when she gets home, but she was in very good spirits. She enjoyed what she could on her trip and was looking forward to heading home.  I'm sure she'll be back to Charleston one day to enjoy more of the town.

She is in the computer field, but it's more important who she is.  On the ride to the airport, she was smiling and laughing and her attitude was very positive.  My impression was that this was just a bump in the road and she was moving past it.  Years ago, I drove a young woman who had just had her car totaled and she lost two teeth.  She was an orphan and was working at four different jobs and she made sure that I knew who she was. She said, "I believe in being the victor, not the victim."

I have no doubt that this is one tough New Yorker who has a very bright future ahead of her. With her personality and attitude, that stingray was no match for a "victor." I'm sending my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

It was a short, but remarkable ride. He told he has been married four years and he and his wife have had an awful May.  He listed a number of things that had happened and one that was so awful I said, "I may have to take a shower after this ride is over. I need to drop you off soon." He replied, "A lightning bolt could strike you at any time."

But the most shocking thing he said was this, "We met in a bar on September 25th and got married on October 5th. We knew we were right for each other, she was perfect." How does it happen a couple in 2024 can get married ten days after they meet in a bar? His wife badly turned her ankle in May and she's unable to take a shower, so he's been giving her a sponge bath sitting on a shower stool. The funny guy said, "It's not as sexy as it used to be." I told him his luck will change this month. 

THE BOXING CHAMPION'S SON

I was having a very nice conversation with an accounting recruiter and then he mentioned that his dad (pictured above), was a four time boxing champion between 1988-2008. His professional record was 52-4, beating Evander Holyfield and losing to George Foreman.  His son told me that his dad, Michael Moorer, "Had his worst fight against Foreman and it still bothers him."  His dad lives in Florida and has opened a gym with Evander Holyfield.

 A STEWARDESS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

It's only the second time I have driven someone from South Africa, and the young woman was very excited to see the South African bill with Nelson Mandela on it in my car. She was delightful to drive and had one of the biggest laughs when I told her what the retired British race car driver said to me a few years ago, "Our wives have something very much in common, they have abominably poor taste in men." Her laugh was so loud she startled me.

After high school she took a month or so course in being a stewardess on a yacht and she really enjoys what she's doing.  She has visited a number of countries in her short career and is saving a good amount of money also.  There's less than ten people usually on the yacht and they are good people to work with. I loved her accent and we ended the ride with her saying, "This was an awesome trip, thank you my darling." I may tell some future riders about her farewell and try to copy her beautiful accent!

NOT JUST A DOCTOR

He was easily one of the most impressive riders of the year and I am so glad I got to meet him.  I drove 21 minutes to pick him up which is much longer than most people I pick up.  From North Carolina, I asked him what he did for a living and he replied, "I'm just a doctor and I can't wait to stop."  I didn't realize until later that he may have gotten this line from the television show, "Star Trek."  The doctor,  Leonard McCoy, used to say to Captain Kirk, "I'm just a country doctor, Jim."  This doctor was more like "Dr. Marcus Welby, MD, " a television show from the eighties.

Outgoing, relaxed, funny, and easy going, this is the kind of doctor everyone would want.  He's been upset at how the medical profession has been ruined by corporations.  He explained it is much harder for a doctor these days to have their own practice and everything about the profession has been corporatized. He explained that they are measuring things that should not be measured. He's looking to retire as an internist over the next few years.

ALMOST KISSING COUSINS

It took most of the day, but I knew this would be the best ride of the day almost immediately.  The couple had been married 16 years and they were with a friend heading to The Country Music Festival.  The wife said to me, "When I saw you had a Transit van, I wondered if there was a stripper pole." I can't explain where that came from, but she is the only one to ever bring that subject up.

I asked them how they met and it's a good thing we had thirty minutes left in the ride. They told me they knew each other all their life since they had the same aunt and uncle, but on the other side of the family. Her best friend is her cousin or half cousin. The cousin is also a cousin or half cousin of her husband. I was driving and I'm not 100% sure which it was.

Their relationship changed when the cousin and the wife were going to camp out in a yard, but heavy winds blew the tent away.  She did mention that he gave them a hay ride and she was not dressed properly in a mini-skirt. (Not for camping either) He told them they could stay over, but his place had no electricity, so he lit candles. She thought he was being romantic.  He also had to explain how they needed a bucket of water to use the bathroom, which probably did not sound romantic at all.

The cousin did not want to stay in a separate room, so the three of them went to sleep in the same bed.  Since the cousin was on one side giggling, the new relationship did not go very far that night, but it was quite a story.

LEARNING CHINESE

The three men from China were excited to see the Chinese bill I have hanging in my car. They were docked in Charleston and had come in on a freighter. The word for thank you is spelled, "Xiexide." They taught me that it's pronounced, "She she." As they got out I said, "She she, " and they laughed. It was a short ride and I made the most of it.  When do you ever get to talk to three men on a slow boat to China?