"One of those lives/Mountain Town Taxi"

You know how much i hate small talk, but sometimes when strangers tell me that "It's been one of those days"  I reply:  "For me, it's been one of those LIVES!"

After nearly a 5 year wait I got into the pain mgmt. clinic.  You probably recall that they kept calling me to tell me they lost my paperwork. So basically I'd get a call one day telling me they lost it, then the next day another administrator would call and say "Where did you get that idea, no we didn't.

So I'm scheduled to go in 2 weeks ago and they cancelled because the doc got sic.

One thing that keeps me driven to keep documenting my life is because I know that my wealthy acquaintances, friends and family will NEVER EVER have to go through even one morning of the conditions I've been living with since 1/94.

I get this call from the cab company (who apparently gets paid by medicaid) asking me if I still need them to take me to my appointment 90 miles away.  I said yes.  (I was given the impression a van full of patients was coming to get me)

I worried when I found out that "Swerving" cab company was being sent.  I recently reported them because they were driving on the sidewalk!

So, the guy comes and I'm worried almost immediately.  I said hello and he essentially grunted a response!

He said to me, "do you know where we are going?"

I replied:  "Well of course I do, you mean you weren't provided with the address?"

"I will ask this again:  DO YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING?"

(scary guy!)

I said "Do you need the address?"

He threw his hands up in the air, exasperated.  WHAT ROUTE AM I SUPPOSED TO TAKE TO GET THERE?! 

"i HAVE NO idea i'm from baltimore!

He says: "I'm going to get gas"

It looks like it's going to be 90 minutes of a wkward silence during this drive!

Before I know it he's running his mouth incessantly!  I fugured i better make the best of this.  He starts telling war stories!  He says that the other 2 cab companies in moutain town are run by tweekers!"

"What?"  "What do you mean?"

"Well, the drivers deal meth out of thei cars!"

"How do they know which customers will want it?"

(the entire trip is his initiating very heavy topics.  He draws graphic violent pictures of things he has seen in Mountain Town)

He tells me that a Navaho punched him in the back of the head ( the bony part where it doesn't hurt he emphasized)  and yelled "You stole my land you stole my land!

I replied:  "What did you do what did you say?"

He replied: "I told him HOW COULD I HAVE STOLEN YOUR LAND I WASNOT BORN UNTIL 54 AND PLUS I'M FROM PHILLY!"

(There were many instances where i just wanted to enjoy the scenery and not talk but he would have none of that,)

 in fact he asked me exactly what i think of his personality. 

"I plead the fifth"  I said.

He said "No, you need to tell me.  If you don't I will put your ass on the side of this highway and pray that it rains!"

He wasn't smiling when he said this but I'm stuck so I laughed and said something or other like i thought he was kidding, but who knows?

There were aspects of this guys personality that were endearing, some scary, i sort of understood him. in some ways.  In fact he was such a brusk guy that I just joined right in saying things like:  "Well, i know you won't mind if i cuss so "what the mother fucker did next was.........."

It's like "When in Rome do as the romans do"

I told him " I can handle you, your east coast like me!"

So this is a synopsis of what happened in the car.  The second part of the day is the shocking piece of what happened at pain managment, the third part of my day was at the soup kitchen sitting across from a guy who is covereed with mud, hands filthy and open bloeeding wound.........more on that in my next two postings!

p.s. the cab ride cost $720 dollars round trip but the cab company will give medicaid a 50% discount!