A prick or Rich and Nerdy

"Are you still working?" - A fellow stopped me on Holborn Circus, right by our base. It was very late, something like 4.30 am, and I simply wanted to go home. "Where would you like to go?" "Picadilly Circus!" He looked all right, albeit somewhat nerdy, so I didn't ask for the money in advance. Just named my price. He said: "Fine!" and  got on. As I moved on he asked quickly: "How long?" I told him It was between ten and fifteen minutes. I worked my way uphill, towards Chancery Lane station, wanting to get done promptly with the job and come back. Things like that don't happen very often, one doesn't usually get any jobs right by the base. The unpredictable could be the worse, or the best thing in life, depending on how you play it. I was slightly annoyed by the fact, that he hired me when I had one leg already at the base but who gets really annoyed, while earning money? I gave up thinking, just put myself to it. I had to stop at the red lights, about four times. It didn't slow me down much and soon I got to Cambridge Circus. I'm absolutely sure it took me under ten minutes altogether. I stopped at the red light there, too. Suddenly the nerdy fellow shouted:
"You are taking too long! I CHECKED WITH MY GPS! It's taking too long! How much to here?!" - He jumped off my rickshaw like an angry, spoiled child. I simply couldn't believe it... Did my best to keep my cool, though, and started to persuade him: "We nearly there. The charge is the same. Jump back on. We'll be there in two minutes!" "NOOOO! It's taking too long! I'm stopping that Taxi!" - he flagged a black cab down - "I'll give you five pounds less, OK?" He opened his wallet and exposed a thick layer of dosh down there. I didn't even want to listen to this horseshit. "It's the same charge! We are two minutes away." - I repeated. He tried to pass some money to me, clearly wanting to fuck off ASAP. I felt cheated and angry. You can not be violent towards anyone unless he punches you first. Had he chosen to walk away I wouldn't have stood many chances to stop and charge him without putting my hands on him. It would get pretty awkward by that time, anyway... I really felt abused and, surely, the fury flashed in my eyes when I said to him: "Stop fucking with me!" He hesitated. I said that again, probably a bit more passionately... He paid me the price we previously agreed, then, and went towards that cab. As I drove away I kept watching him talking to the taxi driver. I guess he got refused for the cab didn't move for a long while. The driver probably explained to that fucker that he was practically there... What a fucking nons!!!
Perhaps I didn't dedicate enough attention to him, on the way. Most people are like children, anyway, and I should had known better. We learn something new everyday. That lesson was about a customer service - nerdy and rich people are vain and selfish. Not only they like to be served. As they get bored easily, they also need to be entertained. I could possibly make much more money with that mummy's boy. Had I kept his mind busy with a conversation, he wouldn't have had time for his smartphone and if ignorance is bliss then blessed are the blessing.

Snapshots

To be a rickshaw rider is all about living the way YOU want. It's about freedom. Freedom could be dangerous but it's a whole different story. It's enough to say that freedom has its price. Every now and then somebody calls you a prick. Sometimes someone promises to stab you in the neck. "Bigmouth strikes again!" - as Chumbawamba sang. "Water off duck's tail..." - as Alex Brownie says. Yet there is something that remains. It's as if your brain stored some pictures. There's that feeling too, as if you were dreaming or as if it was just a film you were watching...

I met those two very young Turkish lads. One of them was really pissed, he could hardly walk. Obviously they craved for some affordable, immediate, physical love without strings attached. Btw what they were looking for was actually available around the corner. I charged them upfront and got them there in no time. As I stopped I took a look behind. One of them was quite strangely positioned. Upper half of his body was hanging out of trike. He was all covered with his vomit and so was side of my rickshaw next to him. "FUCK ME!" - was all I could think or say about it. That instant he heavily fell on the floor and remained there, silent, motionless, positioned like some bizarre foetus. "Hassan! Hassan!" - his friend tried to wake and lift him up but that fellow just didn't seem to be there any more. As I was about to say that, in his actual condition, he probably won't get a hard on anyway, his friend looked at me and waved. "See you later." He didn't need to say it again.