A mastery in short story writing. I had to call my mum immediately after finishing it.
Well written, but it reads like a fiction based on a real story.
A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
31–40 of 174 posts
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#32Clicks on link with bold thoughts of ‘I can handle anything’
Nope. The tears came for sure.
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#33Previous discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3918783
Thanks. I searched HN for the link and nothing turned up. Should have searched for the title I guess. But the good thing is there are always some who missed it.. including me.
It was such a good story I was sure I'd read it before on here and well worth another read
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#34I have been fortunate enough (privileged enough?) to feel comfortable picking up hitchhikers (or simply people walking along the road) over the years, and while most aren't particularly noteworthy, a few have been rough.
One teenage boy had just been thrown out of his house, with nothing other than a torn shirt and shorts, by his drunk father. I drove him to his girlfriend's place.
One desperate father had taken a bus as far as he could, but still had miles to walk to get to his mother's place and back home before his kids would wake up in the morning.
I wrote about those and my other recollections a while back[1], but none as memorable as this piece.
[1]: https://opposite-lock.com/topic/45077/hitchhikers-over-the-y...
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#35Wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Such acts of selfless kindness are what make life beautiful. They enrich everyone - the giver, the receiver and all those who witness such acts.
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#36I enjoyed reading this. She was fortunate to have you in her life.
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#37Small acts of kindness are more than enough to make someone else’s day. They sometimes even change lives. I hope this story reminds people that this is not just an empty platitude.
In a sense, there are no small acts of kindness. They are all great.
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#38Reading this I got the impression that the person is a professional writer and fictionalized for emotional effect. Indeed, this is from an author. I'm all but immune to sentimentalism on the internet, and this story came across like a facebook chain letter.
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#39Nearly 20 years ago my friend and I returned to his dorm building after a long long night out, only to discover we were locked out. With nothing better to do, we sat outside on the stoop and planned to chat the hours away until 6am when the doors would reopen.
Before the dawn came, a man in his 80s almost walked past us. He stopped to ask for directions somewhere, maybe to a church. After our half-hearted attempt at giving him directions, he asked us a question. Small talk. And then another. And then the questions turned into statements (“my daughter also went to art school”), and then into short stories, then long stories. My friend and I — having nothing better to do at this early hour, and each recognizing this man wasn’t looking for a sermon but an audience — kept listening.
The old man’s long stories turned into deeply personal stories; of hunting deer with his father, of losing friends in the war… He went on and on, pausing occasionally to stare a thousand yards past us and let a patient tear make room for another.
An hour later, in a click, the man wished us a good day and went about his way. And with a click, the lobby door behind us unlocked, and we went on our way. We slept until noon and I mostly forgot what else happened the previous night, but I never forgot that early morning moment.
Those of us who are lucky to reach that age will surely have endless tales and thoughts to tell, and I hope we’re all lucky to find an attentive ear, whether from a stoop-sitting stranger or a taxi driver.
Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)
#40> it was possible to believe that I had been placed on earth for the sole purpose of providing her with that last ride.
I suspect that a lot of people have a "heroism gene". In situations in which they're doing something selfless, and nothing matters other than helping the person before them who really needs it, there's an implicit "this is my purpose" or "this is what we do".
I've wondered where that comes from, nature or nurture. And how common it is.
And also how that changes once they have family dependent on them, when helping someone else would threaten that.