I always pick up the same customer
She’s young and beautiful
And full of dreams
Somedays, she says very little
Somedays she rattles on and on
About important things
Or nothing at all 

Sometimes we listen to music
She gets annoyed when I sing
Other times she listens to music
And closes me off
Buds in her ears
And I drive, in silence
 
I have glanced over at her sleeping
Slumped against the door
I’ve watched her pick her nails
And flick them on the floor
I’ve gone through numerous drive-thru runs
And made pit-stops for bathroom breaks 
And bookstores
I have watched her read
Totally absorbed
She looks particularly beautiful 
When she’s engrossed in book
Except when I *want* to talk to her –

We have had verbal disagreements in the car
I have pulled over 
Until our heated discussion, cools
I hate it when we fight 

I have driven her to
Church camps
Youth groups
Swim camps
And hundreds of swim practices
I’ve taken her to meet up with friends
I have taxied her friends
There are always many giggles then 

We have left before dawn for swim meets
And I have faithfully transported her 
Back and forth to school
And there was that one trip where we flew together 
The one time I wasn’t the pilot 
But then, we rented a car in Florida
Just us
That was fun
 
And I’ve waited 
Oh, how I’ve waited on her!
I’ve passed time by reading
Catching up on social media
And paying bills
And while I have bills to pay
I run my taxi service for free
My customer never pays me
But I don’t mind –

I’d lie if I said my job wasn’t 
Frustrating at times 
But I couldn’t love it more
My demanding customer is now 15

And some time next year, I’ll be out of work