Monday, November 16, 2009
Servicio Puerta a Puerta
I am so glad to be home. I am cold & hungry. The stars misaligned for a simple plan. I walked four books to library. Heavy. I am wearing a Foley catheter - I'll write on the pros & cons of that later this week, but this one chaffs a bit & I don't enjoy the walking for the heck of it so much. & I'm underweight & I need to keep more food around - any food, junk food. I liked having several books around to choose from as my next read. So I decided to take out four books, go to the supermarket, which had good sales, get some extra snack & canned stuff plus 1/2 gallons of juice & milk, indulge myself with a cab home. Pathmark bakery has crullers half the price of Dunkin' Donuts & just as tasty, I nibble through one over the course of day, dipping it in cold milk.
In the checkout, I got caught behind a young couple who presented the cashier with a stack of coupons plus two six month old rain checks from another Pathmark that were ultimately determined invalid. When I was done, I called the only cab company on my cell list & was told it would be 1/2 an hour. Not the usual ten minutes. This was for a 5 minute ride at most. I had to wait. But I figured I would sit on the bench outside, start reading one of the books, & it would go quick enough.
An idling armored truck was parked in front of the bench pumping exhaust. It was there for a long time.
The cashier who'd rung up my order went home. The air became chilly.
The other person waiting for a cab, an old lady with a cane & enormous amount of groceries filling two shopping baskets was picked up by another company.
A car from the Latino Cab arrived for someone, the driver gave me his card. I said I'd try him next time.
I called Yellow Cab again. The dispatcher didn't remember taking my call. I said it had to be Yellow it's the only taxi number on my phone. He said, "Sorry, I'll send a Red Cab right now."
A few minutes later a red Latino Cab showed up. Nice driver, they usually are. He helped me load my groceries. "Are you Yellow Cab?" I asked.
"Same company, " he said, "but we're Latino, we're red."
"I don't care where my drivers come from, " I said. But with the huge Hispanic population of Elizabeth, there has to be a cab company that guarantees Spanish speaking dispatchers & drivers. (Now I see in the phone book they have identical ad size & copy, but in English & Spanish).
Five minutes later I was home. Too much money for the distance, I think. Definitely too much for the wait.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
In the checkout, I got caught behind a young couple who presented the cashier with a stack of coupons plus two six month old rain checks from another Pathmark that were ultimately determined invalid. When I was done, I called the only cab company on my cell list & was told it would be 1/2 an hour. Not the usual ten minutes. This was for a 5 minute ride at most. I had to wait. But I figured I would sit on the bench outside, start reading one of the books, & it would go quick enough.
An idling armored truck was parked in front of the bench pumping exhaust. It was there for a long time.
The cashier who'd rung up my order went home. The air became chilly.
The other person waiting for a cab, an old lady with a cane & enormous amount of groceries filling two shopping baskets was picked up by another company.
A car from the Latino Cab arrived for someone, the driver gave me his card. I said I'd try him next time.
I called Yellow Cab again. The dispatcher didn't remember taking my call. I said it had to be Yellow it's the only taxi number on my phone. He said, "Sorry, I'll send a Red Cab right now."
A few minutes later a red Latino Cab showed up. Nice driver, they usually are. He helped me load my groceries. "Are you Yellow Cab?" I asked.
"Same company, " he said, "but we're Latino, we're red."
"I don't care where my drivers come from, " I said. But with the huge Hispanic population of Elizabeth, there has to be a cab company that guarantees Spanish speaking dispatchers & drivers. (Now I see in the phone book they have identical ad size & copy, but in English & Spanish).
Five minutes later I was home. Too much money for the distance, I think. Definitely too much for the wait.
Labels: Elizabeth NJ, shopping
