excerpt
“Roger 79,” the dispatcher acknowledged his position, and all
the other drivers knew too.
Darkness had spread all over the city and surely to top it all a
slow rain started spitting moistening the air and Costa’s thoughts, of
loneliness in this big city where he arrived only a couple of years ago,
another lonely night unfolding wings in the city with its slow night
life of a few clubs, many pubs, and a couple of restaurants opened late.
The city life undoubtedly rolled slowly and peacefully with no bursts
of anything other than the slow murmur of the rain falling on the
windshield of the car as his memories of the homeland, so far away on
the other side of the planet, came to fill his emptiness as he reckoned
that he’d prefer a day shift from this night shift so he could enjoy his
family, his wife and one-year-old son, who he left a little earlier only to
see them tomorrow morning when they’d get up. It was a hard way to
earn a living. However, a man always did what he had to, as the saying
went, to survive and provide for his family. In any case, the good thing
about the night shift was that it lasted two hours longer than the day
shift, which meant a few more dollars, and one could always get a fare
from a generous customer who, after his daily drinking at a hotel pub,
would give you a better tip. The wipers created a monotonous noise
that attracted his attention, and he let his imagination run to things
pleasant and familiar, like the hugging of his wife’s body and suddenly
lust overtook him. He took his cigarette pack and lit one, just to get his
mind away from things interfering with his taxi driving and tonight’s
shift.
Libros Libertad 