Allison decides to hold onto her youthful side as she drives a taxi during her spare time. But one day, her friend’s husband is her passenger. As she takes the man to his destination, he asks for a detour, revealing a side of him she didn’t know. Next, Allison has to decide whether to be good at her job and protect her friend or help show her the truth.
Driving a taxi at 65 years old wasn’t part of my retirement plan, but it became my passion. I had been a writer for a women’s column for the better part of my career, and since retirement dawned, I only wrote a few articles per month.
A person using a typewriter | Source: Midjourney
“Just something to keep the old clogs working,” my editor, Elena, said when I told her that retirement was knocking on my door. “You don’t have to commit to it, Allison. It can be a freelance role, if that’s what you’d like. But just write for us every so often.”
I agreed, what else did I have to do with my time anyway?
But then, the open road, the hum of the engine, and the stories of my passengers kept me going.
“Mom, why?” my son, Darren, asked me. “Like really? Driving people around?”
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
“You’ll understand the need to do something freeing when you’re older, son,” I told him. “Let me do this while I still can. And what’s better than enjoying what I do?”
Yesterday was one of those days that I’ll never forget because it reminded me how foul people can be.
The previous day, one of my regulars, Jane, called me. She was a lively 55-year-old woman, and over the years, we had become friends.
A smiling older woman | Source: Midjourney
“Hi, Allison,” she said on the phone. “I need a favor.”
“If it involves those croquettes with the peas that you’re trying to get me to eat, it’s a hard pass,” I chuckled. “What do you need?”
“Mike is leaving on a trip tomorrow, and he needs a ride to the airport. I’m going to be babysitting the grandbaby, so I don’t want to disturb her routine.”
People at an airport | Source: Midjourney
“Sure thing,” I replied, always happy to help.
The next morning, I pulled up to their house and waited. Moments later, Jane ran out, the baby in her arms as she waved to me, signaling that Mike would be out soon.
Eventually, Mike trudged down their front steps, his suitcase trailing behind him as he slid into the back seat.
A man holding a suitcase | Source: Midjourney
“Good morning,” I said, trying to be polite.
I knew about Mike, but we had only met once at their Christmas party years ago. I doubted that he even remembered me. He had always struck me as someone who didn’t bother about the next person unless they added value to his life.
“He’s very closed off,” Jane said at the party, pouring me a glass of eggnog. “But he’s a sweetheart once he lets you in.”
People at a Christmas party | Source: Midjourney
“Straight to the airport?” I asked, adjusting the rearview mirror as Mike settled himself down.
“Yes, but first, a quick stop to pick someone up,” he replied. “I’ll direct you. You can just add it to the route, and I’ll pay you at the airport.”
It seemed odd, but I thought nothing of it. It was probably a colleague. Jane hadn’t mentioned why Mike was going away.
A woman sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney
But as I drove to the address that Mike had provided, my stomach twisted. There, on the curb, was a young and beautiful woman who beamed as the car slowed down.
Mike got out of the car, a sudden energy to his previously quiet demeanor.
“Hi, honey,” he said, pulling her into an embrace.
A close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
“Finally, you got rid of your old hag!” the woman sneered, allowing Mike to kiss her all over her face. “At least we’re going to get one weekend free of her. Remind me one more time, why aren’t you leaving her?”
Mike chuckled and picked up her suitcase.
A woman with a suitcase | Source: Midjourney
“Because the house is in the oldie’s name, Nicole,” he said. “And I need to be smart about this. If one of us is unfaithful, then the other leaves with everything. But if we decide to mutually end our marriage, then everything gets divided.”
“Yes, you’ve told me this before,” she said, sliding into the car. “And I’m not stupid.”
Oldie? Hag? My friend was vibrant and fit. She didn’t deserve this. Fury bubbled inside me.
A close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
How could I let this man get away with this? Could I really let it slide and drive him to the airport?
Was there any possible way that I could keep this from Jane?
I struggled with my thoughts, but in the end, my conscience was fueled by the continuation of their vile conversation in the backseat. Not to mention the fact that Mike continued to grab Nicole at every chance he got.
A close-up of a couple | Source: Midjourney
I put the radio on, hoping that the music and them being engrossed in each other would dull their senses to reality.
Twenty minutes later, Mike looked up and realized where we were. Back to the place where we had started this whole saga.
“What? Why are we here?” Mike shouted from the back seat.
A side view of a cab | Source: Midjourney
I hooted as he spoke; my car alerted Jane to come outside.
“Didn’t you ask me to drive you home?” I replied, feigning innocence. “You kept mentioning the house. Seems like I was mistaken.”
At that moment, Jane stepped out of the house, confusion on her face. She saw Mike and the woman, and her expression shifted to shock and then anger.
A smiling middle-aged woman | Source: Midjourney
“What is going on here?” Jane demanded.
“Jane, it’s not what it looks like. Nicole is coming on the trip, too. I did her a favor by fetching her, right, Allison?” he said.
A woman driving a cab | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, really?” Jane’s voice trembled with fury. “That’s not what it looks like. It looks like you were cheating on me with this woman!”
Nicole smirked from her seat.
“Well, now you know,” she said. “Mike’s been with me for a few months now.”
A close-up of a young woman | Source: Midjourney
Jane’s eyes blazed as she turned her attention back to Mike.
“After everything we’ve been through, you go ahead and do this?” she asked.
“Jane, I can explain,” Mike pleaded.
A close-up of a man | Source: Midjourney
“Save it,” Jane cut him off coldly. “Get out of my friend’s car and find your own way out of here.”
She turned to me, leaning against the car window.
“Thank you, Al,” she said. “Thank you for showing me the truth.”
A close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
“Anytime, Jane,” I said. “You deserve better.”
She turned back to Mike.
“I want you gone by the end of the day. If you choose to go on your trip, then I will call the kids and ask them to move your things out for you. Don’t forget, because of your infidelity, darling, you will get absolutely nothing from me.”
A person packing boxes | Source: Midjourney
“Jane,” Mike pleaded again. “Let’s talk about this. This little thing isn’t serious. Nicole and I aren’t anything serious. It was just a little bit of fun.”
“No,” Jane interrupted, her tone final. “Stop talking. It’s over.”
As I drove away, Jane waved at me, a sad smile on her face.
A woman driving | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t expect such a routine job to turn into an episode that would expose my friend’s husband for cheating on her with a younger woman. But I was glad that I hadn’t turned a blind eye to the truth. Jane needed to know, and I was grateful that I was the one who helped her find out.
Now, I’m sitting at the kitchen table, a bowl of soup next to me as I draft my article for the column. I planned on writing about men and cheating right under our noses. Always clearly disguised under the pretense of business trips or going to visit an ill relative.
A woman using a laptop | Source: Midjourney
It’s always the same.
A couple sitting on a bench together | Source: Unsplash
Still basking in her honeymoon glow, Jane is more than ready to begin her new life as a wife. But when she overhears a conversation between her husband and his friends, she discovers that her husband is as shallow as they come. Will Jane conform to the ideal woman Wayne wants, or will she leave?
“Are you sure you’re ready for me?” I asked.
“Yes, of course, Jane,” he said. “Nicole is a part of the past now. I’m ready to move on and settle down and just be happy, you know?”
At first, I was worried about being a rebound—it happened more often than not. But I also figured that I had nothing to lose.
A couple sitting at a table and holding hands | Source: Unsplash
We were together for almost two years when Wayne proposed to me.
“Let’s make it forever, Jane,” he said.
Of course, I said yes. In the time we had been together, Wayne had shown me that I was more than just a rebound.
Until, he proved me wrong.
“Dude, are you still hung up on how Jane looks?” one of his friends chuckled.
My heart skipped a beat.
What? I thought.
Maybe it was just a joke and Wayne was going to come to my rescue.
“Well, at least she cooks better than Nicole,” Wayne said. “And she doesn’t bother me much. I think she took Bolt for a walk now too, something that Nicole would definitely have made me do. But it does feel like a bit of a downgrade compared to Nicole.”
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This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
