I visited New Orleans last weekend and flew into PTI late last night. I have many stories to tell from the trip, but I thought I’d share something that happened as I was in a cab on the way to the New Orleans airport yesterday afternoon.
I love talking to cab drivers because they always have great stories to tell. When I got in the cab I quickly realized the driver was from outside the US so we got to talking about where he was from. As it turns out he was from Kenya and had been in the states for close to 10 years. When we pulled onto the interstate the driver and I noticed that another cab dropped off a passenger on the side of the on-ramp, which was very odd. The driver quickly put on the breaks and stopped in the median that separates the interstate and the on-ramp (slightly terrifying – tons of people started honking). The guy that was on the side of the road was now parallel with the vehicle and yelled, “I don’t have any money.” The cabby then looked at me and said, “Do you mind if I help him if I can?” I replied by saying “Fine by me.” Who doesn’t need a good adventure right? Well, as it turns out the guy was going a completely different direction and the driver wasn’t able to give him a lift.
As we drove off he told me a story about a time that he traveled out of town to see his kids and became stranded, only to have a complete stranger help him get where he needed to be. As he went on about the experience he mentioned that it took place in NC. I then said, “Really, that’s where I’m headed. What part of NC did you visit?” He then said, “Greensboro, NC.” As you can imagine, I was filled with excitement and said, “Awesome, that’s where I’m going.” I then said, “Were you stranded at the bus station downtown?” He confirmed my assumption and I said, “Man, I live just on the other side of the station!” We were instantly connected.
As we continued towards the airport I couldn’t’ help but think about how proud I was that a resident of Greensboro stepped up and helped someone in need.
What’s bizarre is the fact that I almost didn’t get in this guys cab. The first cab I got in had a mechanical issue and wouldn’t start, which prompted me to get out and get in cab #2. Isn’t it funny how life brings people together?
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