Video call

I was assigned a very young driver by Uber this morning. I usually wait for the cab on the footpath and see people rushing to work or to wherever they go.

My cab arrives and as I get in and I realize this guy was talking to someone on the phone and was in a good mood. He hung up and asked me where is the drop and then we took off.

My mind was occupied with a lot of things so I found myself lost. Mornings have been like that for quite some time. But suddenly he gets a call, he takes it and I realize it is a video call. In the beginning, there is some disturbance and I hear a child crying on the other side. A few minutes later a lady comes on to the screen, she is very close to the phone and she is smiling wide and talking to the driver. I can’t make sense of anything but I realize they are recently married and maybe had a child together. He gets off the call and back to driving.

All this makes me happy. The innocence of making a video call, innocence of reaching out to the significant other when he is driving and making money.

I get the urge to turn my face towards the window again. To get back to the things I was thinking. I make a mental note telling myself to read a few pages of the new book in the metro. I grab my bag and prepare the dialogue ‘Payment will happen online’.