I wanted to pick up my package (from parents) *today* before UPS closes at 6pm, so being the determined person I am, I call the cab company at 5:25, and ask for a taxi. Public transportation would have taken me over an hour. So a taxi comes around 5:35. I tell the guy that I need to be at the Watertown post office before 6pm, and he tells me that's gonna be tough. And then began the crazy drive, where I'm pretty sure the guy was going like 20 mph over the speed limit, but then hitting the brakes hard because there are soooo many traffic lights and heavy traffic due to rush hour.
As this is taking place, I watch the meter go up. I count how much cash I have ($19...), we still have 5 more minutes to go according to the GPS, and the meter is already at $18.30 (after just 10 minutes of drive...). Craaap, so I ask the guy if he can take my credit card; he says no, but since I'm in a rush, he'll take me to the store anyway and we'll figure something out. I say okay, and we get to the store at like 5:55. I get my package, and ask him to drive me to the nearest ATM. He then asks where I live and how I plan on going back with the big box (though it was just bulky, not heavy). At this point, the meter was already at $27. I couldn't afford to pay $50+ just for a round-trip cab ride. So I told him I live in Brookline but that I'll just take the bus back. He then stops the meter, and makes this long drive to an ATM. I cash some money, get back to the car, and he's like, where do you live because I can just take you home. And I'm like uh well, how much extra is that gonna cost because I really can't afford too much. Then he tells me he'll just take me home for free and that he's turned off the meter anyway so it doesn't matter.
So then ok. After some small talk that took place, he asks me if I have a boyfriend back in Virginia, and doesn't accept my "no, I don't." He's like what, no, was it the long distance thing because I don't see how you don't have one. I turn the topic around (though not soon enough), and somehow it got to how he thinks I should explore downtown Boston and I can meet nice guys there -- and this somehow gets to how he hopes I can find nice guys soon -- and this gets to how if I'm going to bars or wine places, I should make him my designated driver, and how he hopes that he'll see me again, etc. It was getting weird. Finally we move onto talking about Brookline, and he mentions a couple of cool places around. I respond with "oh cool, I didn't know that before," and this prompted him to ask me if I wanted him to take me there right now ("you want to drive over there? I can drive you back afterwards" [we were a block away from my apt at this time, so almost home]). I managed to refuse.
He drops me off in front of my building, and at this point, I figure ok, he doesn't know which apt # I live in, so that's ok. You need a key to get into the building anyway. But he voluntarily carried my package from the trunk for me, and of course mom had to print out my full address in like a size 72 font to tape to the box. But right in front of the locked building door, I told the taxi guy "it's really ok, you can just leave the box right here, I can take it up from here!!" and he left after a couple of "hope to see you again, enjoy the rest of your day" line.
Wow. At least... I got to and back from the post office in one piece, with my package, and for (only) $30?!
