The London Taxi Driver
The rain drizzled on my tousled hair, flecking it with shimmering crystals. Shivering in disgust, I huddled closer into the warmth of my tattered, black coat. How pathetic.
I had been doing this for the past twenty years and still, despite my continual efforts, I failed to be apathetic to the world around me. I found emotion and beauty in everything even rain. Maybe I am a born poet, I wondered sardonically. The irony in this was because of all the jobs in the entire world mine is the one which commands the least amount of emotion, which demands a total lack of conscience. Just my luck then to be the most sympathetic guy this side of the Thames.
I mused at how, whenever I stepped outside, the sun always seems to spitefully cease to shine, as if to punish me, and those dark, oppressive rain clouds always tend to follow me in my wake, like my own personal herd of paparazzi. Except there is one main difference with the camera clicking, secretly stalking brand of paparazzi and my sock drenching, mood crushing type. That is, try as you might, it is impossible to get a restraining order for rain-clouds.
My Rolex blinked at me sleepily; it was two minutes past five. In the morning. What a life a London taxi-driver leads.
I can bear the tedium of driving but it’s the incessant barrage of questions that exasperates me. Some of them are so inane; I think my passengers assume they are adding a bit of variety to my day by asking, ‘Had a nice morning?’ when it is obvious that I am in a foul mood and my face resembles thunder. Sometimes I even get, ‘Isn’t it a fine day?’ when the rain outside is veering dangerously close towards the torrential. Some questions, however, have been uncomfortable to answer. My Rolex has raised some prying questions. Fair enough, what self respecting taxi-driver does own a vintage Rolex? Anyhow, I just tend to ignore that topic. They don’t need to know about the grateful client who gave it to me. I live by the maxim that what those interfering busybodies don’t know won’t hurt them.
The metallic taste of blood swept across my tongue. Realising that I had been biting my lip out of sheer anticipation, I glanced down at my hands which were unyielding in their vice-like grip around the steering wheel. The biting frost penetrated my numbing fingers and, as I restlessly fingered with one of the scraps of leather that clung vainly onto the battered wheel, I considered turning on the heater. No-the heater would stay off. Today, especially today, I would need all my wits and this pinching weather would be perfect to keep me alert. I had done this a hundred times before, but that did not stop the tiny droplets of fear accumulating in my skull. Resting my head against the seat, I exhaled, gritting my teeth. My eyes subconsciously followed a feeble, trembling cloud of vapour as it escaped from my quivering lips. As it was enveloped by the deafening silence, a dull thump, thump, thump echoed as my heart began to pound.
My taxi coughed and spluttered through the desolate streets. The past seven days had been a whirlwind of preparation. My anonymous client had made it all too clear of the consequences that would occur if I refused the job. The clear, authoritative voice indicated that this person was used to getting what they wanted and they were willing to pay for it too. I wasn’t about to argue with that. But still, I couldn’t stop my clammy hands from twitching as much as I could stop the muscles in my neck tensing as if I was a lion, ready to spring. Laughing feebly at this, I realised that, if this were so, then I must be the most neurotic lion in London. I swerved around the corner. The man was waiting impatiently as the car spluttered to a standstill outside the ostentatious ‘Riverbank Hotel’. I didn’t trust my legs to carry me around the taxi and open the door so I stayed unmoving. It was the man; there was no mistaking that even the grainy photograph I had matched him perfectly. As one distinguished looking porter placed a briefcase into the car boot, another hastily opened the door and ushered the gentleman inside.
The man sat down. I wanted to scarper, disappear, escape. My hands went from searing hot to cold, and then hot again. My eyes saw red. But I jammed down the accelerator and hurtled out. I had done it. I had passed the point of no return. I couldn’t back out now, no matter what.
He was too busy hollering down his Blackberry to look out of the window. If he had, he would have realised that I was hurriedly rushing out of the grey, concrete jungle. The blaring of horns was gradually becoming a whisper in the distance. The further away we get, the better, I told myself. He had to die. But still, that wretched lack of emotion made me pity him. I felt sorry for the man I was about to murder. However, all thoughts were quickly dispelled as the car wound around the winding curves towards the fog-encased river and the murmur of a roar rustled before the very last bend. Nearly there.
He was just another egotistical businessman; part of the rat-race of life which also included my usual flock of harassed mothers with their screaming brats in tow. Not to mention the drunken teenagers who always left my car smelling like it had been drowned in alcohol. But, unlike this passenger, they were all just part of the cover-story, the elaborate faade, the joke.
Tomorrow, this man would be found missing without a trace. His family would release a heart-rending plea for his return and a police investigation will then prove fruitless. In the end, this man will be forgotten, just as the others were. And what about me? The sympathetic hit-man. The compassionate assassin. The square peg in a round hole. No matter what I do, no matter how many tears of remorse I shed, the rain clouds will continue to shadow me as my eternal paparazzi, and the rain will continue to drizzle on my tousled hair, flecking it with shimmering crystals
IMAGE: -AX-
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1 Comment – Postiwch sylw
SamuelPatterson
Rhoddwyd sylw 69 mis yn ôl - 17th August 2010 - 16:52pm
That was really good :)
I really enjoyed it and you put so much detail into it, it so life-like :P
The story was awesome too :)
I love it :D