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you've seen people get it on in your cab?

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what, did she just run away after you dropped her off? how'd you get her cell?

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I picked up this young black girl at a house on the west-side. It was a radio call. She was going to the suburbs. First off, the neighborhood is one I'm not real familiar with. I know it, but not individual blocks and what kinds of activity goes on this particular one. It's in Austin, which if you're familiar with Chicago, is sketchy mostly. Well, the tell-tale signals of this block being a hot-spot of some kind were there as I waited for the dispatcher to call the party out. I didn't know who it was gonna be. They were taking a few minutes to come out. She finally comes out. To avoid the thugs on he block, she practically runs up. She has some baggage --looks like kids' clothing and stuff. She apologizes for taking so long right away and tells me she's going to Carol Stream, Illinois. I think: "Cool. It's Sunday 8 pm. I can make my nut on this fare and maybe make a few $ for myself before it gets slow."
I discussed my route with the customer briefly and even discussed the approximate fare.
I should have settled it right there --before leaving. There was some misunderstanding at the destination regarding the fare. She wanted to write a check. Then she wanted to charge it. The first run-through of the card numbers came up as a bad account. Since we were now at least 20 miles from the city and radio reception was bad, we re-ran the numbers (over the air). She was patient. It turned out the dispatcher got the card numbers wrong the first time. I didn't want to inconvenience her with waiting a second time for card approval --she seemed like a fairly busy young lady who had kids. So, when I figured out she was stiffing me --after the dispatcher came back with a second denial of the card -- I could still see her walking up the stairs to the apartments. I shouted out "It still came up bad!" She apparently couldn't hear me. Ya wanna guess the rest? Pretty boring I know. But it was frustrating as hell. Cost me the night basically....

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some of the most uninspired people I have ever met are nothing more than the mortar holding the cubicled bricks of corporate America together. I like things a little more rough around the edges

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I couldn't agree more with that statement. Life is meant to be enjoyed not wasted away in some cubicle!