"I don't want to be late for church"

From the Lost Blog files - another taxi theme, this time from New Orleans - our taxi ride to the airport leaving for Washington, DC -

Selena writes from her old school real paper journal in an entry titled Sunday, March 23, Happy Easter:

"We called for a taxi and were picked up - the perfect send off from New Orleans, a veteran Creole, wearing slippers + combing her hair. We were entertained by her stories while she ate bacon crisps + searched her purse for her medication. You see, she'd left in a hurray because she needed to get us to the airport + get herself back in time for church. In between stories, she'd mumble the time + count backwards making sure she had time to change + get to church. We talked food, flood, police all the while going a steady pace toward the airport (she doesn't speed). She was a sweet lady when she pulled away from the airport she honked + waved. Perfect send off."

I am glad Selena wrote that entry down - that was quite a taxi ride. It was the most emotional roller coaster ride I have ever taken in a taxi. The ride went from funny: She wore pink slippers and then said if I had known us folks were comin', she would have brought some crawfish. Then to kind of scary: She told us of how she'd been robbed and that's why she carries a gun in the cab. We never saw the gun but I totally believe that it was there. To sad: We passed a cemetary where she said her 16 year old son was there, he had been shot in a case of mistaken identity. Back to strange: She showed us a tape recorder she uses to record some of her rides to guard against unruly passengers that complain to the cab company about her. Back to funny: The multi-tasking was hilarious, eating pork rinds while digging in her purse to find her meds, while combing her hair, while making perfectly sure we not going a mile over the speed limit. It was a truly great send off from New Orleans and a total fluke that we met her as she doesn't usually doesn't take airport rides on Sundays as she doesn't want to miss church.

So, thanks sweet cab driver lady, we will never forget that ride!