my 'stretch' taxi

It was a beautiful evening, very little snow had fallen and it was not all that cold for mid January, believe it or not. This was Ohio and mostly around this time of year there would be feet of snow, especially in this part of the snow-belt. But we were lucky, I was lucky. Since my car was out of commission, I had been dropped off and not knowing how long the event was going to go, I mentioned no time for pick-up.

My pressed uniform looked great, my long hair done up in a smoothed bun was still intact, and after five hours of hors' deuvres serving, wine pouring, guest attending, and over-all making a perfect young ladies 16th debutante ball party a blast, I was a little tired. It was well worth it as all 300 guests could not have been more pleased with the A-plus service they received from the moment me and the staff took their coats at the door. The event was a joy and the appreciation was well-received in a $200.00 tip I received before I even walked out the door. The hostess's husband had overheard that my car was out of commission and no ride could come and pick me up, as it was well after midnight.

What happened next was like something I read as a fairy tale when I was a little girl . . .

The driver was paged, the hostess suggested I wait inside the parlor and just about the time I was going to step outside for a cigarette, a sleek black stretch limousine pulled up into the mosaic-tiled circular driveway. The hostess's husband escorted me out with a $50.00 extra tip plus a very expensive bottle of Cabernet Savignon, a bold red wine and exclaimed, "your carriage awaits you, my dear !". "But this is not a taxi, it is a limo, yours as a matter of fact, right?" "Yes, D.F drives my older model around and he was not busy tonight so I asked him to pick you up and take you home. You made my daughters party a smashing success and next year for the charity event, I want you there. You did a superb job. This is my way of saying thank you"

At that moment, he opened the door for me and then leaned into the drivers window and told D.F to take me wherever I wanted to go, and then turned back to me and told me to enjoy the ride, the stocked fridge and the entertainment unit. I was thrilled ! like a little girl let loose in an amusement park with someone else helping hold the remote control. My driver seemed happy he could make another couple hundred while enjoying a quiet ride to wherever. I thanked my host and hostess and we went on our merry way.

I found a stack of CD's and found a soothing melody. As I eased back into an almost 'love-seat c-shaped unit with lots of fluffy pillowing, the dividing blacked-out window between me and the driver slowly came down. The driver, D.F. was a fairly handsome Caucasian gentleman who also wanted to hear what I was listening to. We shared a similar taste in music when he reached through the space between us and handed me a CD of an artist I had not heard in years. The CD was entitled, "Greatest Stories Live", a bunch of ballads by the famous Harry Chapin, Mary Chapin Carpenters dad. A well liked performer and a favorite of mine.

It turns out it was a favorite of the drivers also and we sang along, while I had two glasses of that bold delicious red wine and D.F. drank his pepsi. We took the long way around town to finaly get me home and I felt like I too, had just found the freedom to 'find the sky'. The lyrics and my stretch 'taxi' and my feeling of accomplishment made this memory very rewarding and every time I hear that song I remember when I also felt like a princess who went off to find the footlights while my driver went off to find the sky . . .