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Paula’s Perspective With Paula Rutherford |
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Away in a Taxi
Cab (Note: I
have broken from my usual column to give you my modern and fictitious twist on the Christmas story.) |
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Ahhhhhh,
yes, I, Simeon, have heard that the truth is often stranger than
fiction. And as an elderly gentleman
who volunteers weekly as a storyteller at the local public library, I have
certainly seen, heard, and read my share of strange and fictitious
stories! Oh, but by far the most
interesting story that I can recount transpired during my regular employment
on a recent evening. Yes, it happened
as I made my rounds as the local taxi cab driver. Trust me, dear friends, the story I wish to
relate is not another tall Texas tale, but a true happening that occurred
only a week ago in our tiny hamlet of Decatur, Texas… It
was a cold, but clear, December night.
The sky was unusually bright from the illumination of the full moon
and the numerous stars that twinkled in a brilliant display overhead. Trying to keep my eyes on the road, I had
just received a call from what some people might consider the wrong side of
the tracks in our little community.
Yes, my taxi had been summoned to a succession of run-down hovels ten
miles on the outskirts of the city limits.
While it was tucked away from Decatur’s finer subdivisions, the little
cottage in this row of homes stood out from the rest. You see, the usual clutter of abandoned
machinery and scattered litter was absent here. And the modest home’s unadorned windows
lent a clear view into a neat, but sparsely decorated, home. Living
in a small town of about 5,000 people, it wasn’t remarkable that I would know
the occupants of this humble dwelling.
They were a devoutly religious couple, and rumors were circulating
that the young lady, Mary, was already pregnant before she had married
Joseph. Young Joe was a struggling
construction worker in a crowded field that had been hindered by a sluggish
economy. And it’s true that not having
a prominent or well known name had also hurt his chances for advancement in
his area of expertise. However, in
spite of their lack of social status or material possessions, Joe and Mary
were obviously deeply in love. On
that evening, as I waited for Joe and Mary to hop into my camel-colored taxi,
I couldn’t help but be a tad bit puzzled.
There, parked in the unpaved gravel driveway, was Joseph’s old
reliable truck. Happy to have the
business, I greeted the young couple who promptly asked me to take them to
our local hospital. Without any
encouragement, Joe rambled on nervously about his need for a taxi that starry
night. It seems that he had been
working late hours in an effort to provide for his expanding family and had
been unable to stop by the county tax-assessor’s office and pay his
registration fee on the truck. Finding
it difficult to slip even a word into the conversation, I listened
attentively as Joe continued his tale of woe.
While a very pregnant Mary shifted uncomfortably in the back seat of
my cab, he continued to describe how he had finally taken off work early and
stood in the busy line only to discover that an error had been made on the
fee. Yes, |
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Better World for Children World
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helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential
by tackling the causes of poverty. Click
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