I am just back from meeting someone at the KLCC shopping mall. Really tired, I decided to take the cab. I don't really do. The taxi man was an indian. "How much does it usually cost to go to PJ?" I was expecting him to say the usual RM 15 the taxi men in KLCC would usually say. They shudder to think of the traffic they would have to face at the highway. This man had a reluctant face on. He says hesistantly, "Ok. My meter is really slow. Let's make a deal for RM10. You are my last trip. I want to go home after this." I agreed quickly and hopped in without thinking twice.

I made a few phone calls in the taxi, to kill the time but after a few minutes, I found myself very bored. The silence was deafening. "Where do you stay?" I asked him.

"In Raub." the Indian answers.

Gosh. Raub is some 100 km away. "So far? Why so far?"

"I don't want to stay in kl. If I have to rent a house here, I can for RM450 but I will be staying alone. I have my grandchildren in Raub. Every night when I come home, my granddaughter will run to the taxi to rummage through my coin box under the brake handle looking for coins. These are the simple joys in my life. I look forward to that everyday."

"How long does it take you to travel from PJ to Raub?"

"About 1 hour and 45 mins. It is a dark and lonely road. Sometimes you will encounter wild boars and large pythons along the way." He kept silent for a while, leaving me to imagine the beasts resting in the jungles of a dirt road leading to nowhere.

Then he continues, "last night by chance, i saw a leopard just sitting there by the road." Wow... i thought. it's like going through a mini night safari. I took his number down. Maybe one day, I may need to just to see a leopard, or two.

"What did you do before you were a taxi driver?" I asked curiously.

"I was a cop, working in small towns. Then I retired, but I felt like I was wasting away. I cannot sit in the house and watch the time fly. It ages me."

I nodded my head, understanding what he meant. He left me at my home at that note. I guess the ride was anything but boring. He made me wish there was more time to listen to his stories.




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