Three Characters Sadden Me in a Single Night.

If you've been a reader here for a long time (and I thank you), you may noticed that my posts had become less frequent lately. That was because there are only so many hours in a day and I was spending more and more time on the road due to LTA's mandatory 250km/day ruling on taxis. Inevitably, it takes a toll on this old boney frame of mine and I seriously need more rest and sleep to stay alive.

Anyway, I'm not a fast writer and like to roast phrases over and over until the they sound right to my mental ear like the sound of biting into a well roasted, succulent Peking duck. Honestly, I would love to write more but because..excuses, ....excuses.!

Now, seriously, I've been longing to write this post lately. Why?. To get rid of all the rotten luck that had struck me since the beginning of this new year.

First, I don't know why I forgot to buy my regular 4D number and it came out First Price on the very day I forgot, resulting in 40k being blown away with the wind. More amazingly, I had three episodes a few night ago that could serve as a model of how despicable some local folks can be when money is concerned and what ass luck I had to I've met those ass-holes. And it all happened in a single night that gospelised the Hokkien saying - " Bo San Put Seng Lay" (meaning "No Three Is Bad Manners).

The chronology of the three episodes went something like this.

8.30 p.m.  I picked up a Chinese lady, twenty something, at Parc Oasis  in Jurong East. She told me that she was in a hurry to join the maddening crowd at the WP political rally at Rivervale Crescent. As we hid the PIE expressway, I could tell from the short conversation we had that she was a loyal WP supporter.

8.45 p.m. "Whom did you vote in the last G.E." came the shocking question. "Sorry. Miss, it's my secret". I replied promptly. There was total silence for the rest of the journey. She seems offended.

8.50 p.m. We stopped about half a kilometer from the rally site due to traffic jam. She paid the fare of about $25 with a credit card. I thanked her but she disembarked without a word and disappeared into the maddening rally crowd.

9.00 p.m. Stopping to have a puff, I routinely search for debris left by passengers. Wow!, sitting on the back seat was an iPhone. The phone was not locked but only 5% of battery was left, which means that if its owner doesn't call me soon, the phone will loose its charge and it cannot be returned. From experience, I checked the address book and called the best person - "Dad" with my phone.
He answered and I blah...blah...the story. "Return the phone to......and I'll pay you the metered fare. I promised", he promised soundly.

9.30 p.m. At reaching the agreed destination, an elderly man came to meet me and I handed over the iPhone. He thanked me and asked for a receipt of the fare. "Mister, may I come back with the money for the fare as I don't have enough now", he pleaded. "Ok, how much do you have now". I asked. He took out a $5 note but the fare was $20. "Ok, I'll wait for the balance". He never return. What promise?

10.00 p.m. After cruising without customers for about half an hour, I finally picked up two young Caucasian along Sixth Avenue. They wanted to drop at two places. First stop, a condo at Amber Road and then East Coast Road. I was delighted as the fare would be about $20. They looked decent and chatted among themselves with accents like British students at an International School here. But soon I was to discover that looks can be very deceiving. 

After dropping the first guy, we reached the second drop-off in less than 5 minutes. East Coast Road around Frankle Ave was dimly lighted and deserted. As soon as I stopped my cab at the spot the chap wanted, he dashed out like a lighting flash into the darkness. My old weaken limbs could not gave chase and there went my half portion of succulent Peking duck. What ass luck!

11.30 p.m.  Again, cruising around without passengers for another half an hour, I stopped at a traffic light junction of Orchard Road/Scotts Road/Patterson Road. In front of me was a white Mercedes Benz 350E, with a dark skinned driver. We waited for the traffic light to turn green so that we could turn right. 

When the light did turned green, I expected the driver to move off and I lightly pressed on my accelerator to move forward. Shockingly, that joker remained stationary!. I bumped into his rear lightly. He got out of his Benz and me too. We examined for damages of his bumper. There was no serious damages or any dents, only a slight scratch at his bumper. He angrily accused me of being reckless and demanded a compensation of $800 for repair of his expensive Benz or he would make a police report to claim from my insurance company. 

I admitted that I made a mistake and pleaded for forgiveness and compassion for an old taxi driver who does not earn much as a cabby. If an insurance claim is made against me, I would instantly loose a thousand bucks. That would mean about 200 hours of driving without pay.

After some intense pleading with him, he finally relented. I emptied my wallet of about $400 and gave it to him. I think he knew the damage to his car was very minor, only a slight scratch, almost invisible if you do not where to look for it and he does not want the hassle of making an insurance claim. Though he accepted my plead, he certainly wasn't magnanimous nor compassionate. He was greedy and could not resists the opportunity and temptation of making an easy few hundred dollars from a poor taxi driver. What f.... ass luck I had!

12.00 a.m. I decided to call it a day. Cruising smoothly along the coast with refreshing flowers and plants greeting me from the road side, made me changed my mood from one of cursing anger to one of cool and calm reflection of man's moral values. In a matter of less than 4 hours, I encountered three sets of despicable characters in Singapore....an elderly man breaking promises without shame, a set of fare cheats and a rich man without empathy for the less well off. All these three reprehensible characters shared one thing in common....the irresistible love of $$$$$$$. 

With the current hustings at Rivervale Crescent, I hope the successful candidate who enters office is doing it out of pure goodness of character and not out of personal greed, fame, ambition or in love with $$$$$$$$$$. May the MP of Punggol East be that kind of person.