love

THE LAST RIDE – STORY

~ thereluctantpoet ~ 7 Comments

Last ride. 
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. ‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. ‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.’ ‘Oh, you’re such a good boy, she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’ ‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly.. ‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice. I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left,’ she continued in a soft voice..’The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. ‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired.Let’s go now’.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. ‘How much do I owe you?’ She asked, reaching into her purse. ‘Nothing,’ I said ‘You have to make a living,’ she answered. ‘There are other passengers,’ I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly. ‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’ I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life. We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. At the bottom of this great story was a request to forward this – I deleted that request because if you have read to this point, you won’t have to be asked to pass it along you just will… Thank you, my friend… Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Please Share This With Followers And Those You Care About
Chuck

NO LONGER A FOOL

~ thereluctantpoet ~ 27 Comments

By Keza/Spiritedsoul And Charles Robert Lindholm – The Reluctant Poet

How Did I
Not Know
You Possessed
The Coldest Heart?

Your Sweet Words
Deceived Me
With Promises,
Tempting Me
To Believe

Your Fiery Passion,
Your Hungry Hands,
And Wild Desires,
And Lies About Love,
Hid The Truth

No Words Of Love
Or Warm Embrace
Will Erase
What I Have Learned,

I Am, No Longer A Fool

Now
Your Words
Are Barbed Wire Kisses
That Cut Me
To The Quick
And Leave
Me In Tears,

My Punishment
For Trusting You

I Seek Refuge
In The Darkest Corner
Of My Soul,
The Safest Place To Sit,
Far Away From You

Where I Can Wonder,
And Plan My Escape,
Into A Life
That Once Again
Is Mine

Copyright © 2020 Keza/Spiritedsoul And Charles Robert Lindholm – The Reluctant Poet
All Rights Reserved – 09-04-2020 – 11:30 a.m.

Thanks so much to Keza for another great collaboration!!

THE GARDENS KEEP CALLING HER

~ thereluctantpoet ~ Leave a comment

By Jeanne

The
Gardens Keep
Calling To Her
To Come Out And
Play

Copyright © 2020 Jeanne – Women Who Think Too Much
All Rights Reserved

Posted By Request And With Permission From Jeanne!

Jeanne Loves Her “Gardens”!  She Has More Than One Large One,
And Loves To Get Her Hands In The Dirt, Plant Seeds, Watch Plants Grow And Then Savor The Harvest!!

She Can’t Resist The Whispering’s Of Her Gardens!!

Please Be Sure To Visit Jeanne’s Blog – Women Who Think Too Much