Cabbie Quit Me

I am notorious for never carrying cash. I mean, I could go weeks without ever touching paper money. My debit card IS my cash, and is swiped often enough to just really quit working one day. I realize this isn’t good -because often times when one does literally hand over the cash, the palms are more willing to let go of the money. My sis Mo has recommended that I always carry $20 emergency cash in my wallet because one never knows when there will be no debit card allowed or just in need of petty cash. And yes, I agree with her on this, but umm… crepes are emergency cash-worthy. No? Either way, my emergency $20 usually lasts me a couple of days and I forget to replenish it, so there are times when I literally have nothing but 57 cents in actual money in my wallet.

Lately, I’ve been taking cabs a lot for one reason or another (I’m late getting somewhere, it’s dark and I don’t feel like being on the train, my shoes are too high to allow any extra walking…). And I use my debit card for them most of the time, but thats because most of my cabrides are like $15 so its semi okay. I still be feeling some kinda way about paying them with my card because I know it’s not instant cash. Well, it caught up to me recently.

A couple of weeks ago, I was supposed to be meeting one of my BFFs (I have like 5. Don’t judge me), Sister VernaJean for dinner. But beforehand, I had to go to a radio station’s open house for work. Well, we were supposed to meet at 6 and at 6:10, I was still at the radio station, so I had to take a cab. I hailed a cab and it was an older Nigerian cab driver.

Well, we get to the restaurant after under 10 minutes, and the cabfare is $4.57. So I go through my wallet looking for my emergency cash and realize I hadn’t replenished. WOMP. With shifty eyes, feeling mighty guilty, and very slowly I take out my debit card and extend it to the cabbie. This is what met me.

Cabbie: *Looks at the card. Looks at me. Looks at the card. Looks at the meter. With thick Nigerian accent, says* You don’t have $4?
Me: *mumbles and looks down* No, I don’t have cash. Sorry.
Cabbie: *Long pause* GETOUT! (came out as one word)
Me: *thinking I didn’t hear him* Huh?
Cabbie: Get out. You will not be paying $4.57 with a card.

Hell naw. Only I could get kicked out of a cab. Dayum. I knew I couldn’t just get out the cab without paying him because I’d feel mighty bad (no Miss sofia). I had to pay him somehow.

Me: *finding the situation of being told to get out of a cab absurd and somehow funny and trying not to giggle* Let me call my friend to bring me money
Cabbie: *exasperated sigh*

I could SWEAR I heard him say “rubbish” under his breath.

Me: *calling VJ* You got cash on you? (very valid question to ask because she is also not a cash-carrier)
VJ: Yeah
Me: *trying not to chuckle* Can you bring me $6? I’m outside in a cab
VJ: HA! OK. Here I come.

So I give the man his money and I swear he almost pulled off while I had only 1 foot on the ground. He could not get away fast enough. When I got out the cab, I had to cackle. as VJ shook her head at me. I felt bad for trying to pay with a debit card. I really did. But when he told me to get out, iDied. I’ve been quit many times (at least 5.6 times a day by the ePosse), but a cabbie? FML. Dayum. Shame on me. I will do better, I promise.

Moral of the story: Don’t piss off a cabbie Thank God for friends that carry cash Carry cash at all times

Edit: So I’m senile right? I was just alerted that 57 cents ain’t a possibility on any cab meter. See what had happened was I don’t remember exactly how much my fare was. I know it was $4 something cents. So I made up the 57 cents. Funny how no one caught this until 14 hours after the blog was up. Tee hee. I will keep it though. Karyn is the one who commented on my Facebook status and said “How is $4.57 possible?” She gets Luvvie’s Smarty Pants Award of the day.

Related posts:

1. Cabbie Chronicles Continues
2. Lecture in a Cab

Tags: Cab Chronicles, Money, Quittage, Random

Category: My Life