I've had many jobs but one of the strangest was when I used to be a taxi driver. You pick up all sorts and never knew who would be getting into your car.
One time I picked up 3 very dodgy looking guys and the one that took the front seat next to me had an elongated baseball bat as a walking stick. Theses people weren't regulars so I was picking up people blind and as such I had no idea if I'd be safe. It turned out that these people were one of the most fun fares I'd ever have, we laughed from start to finish as they told stories and put me at ease within a few minutes. The fact the scary front seat passenger gave me a large tip on top of the fare didn't hurt either.
I also had a call to pick up a girl, late at night with a puppy, I used that story in my first book as the puppy was so large it stood up on it's back legs and licked my face, no mean feat as I'm 6 foot 7.
As taxi drivers we had a call sign to say when we were in trouble so within minutes other drivers would rush to our aid, it was far faster than waiting for the police as any driver in our company would race to help if an Alpha was called. I only had to call alpha once in about 3 years when I was attacked picking up a staff member at a hotel. I was punched in the face by someone that came at me from the side while I confronted someone else. If I'd gone down I'd have had a really good kicking but I stayed on my feet and got in my taxi and drove off with passenger.
I called in a warning to other drivers who would be coming into the hotel and then took my fare home, as a driver that was my main priority. I ended up with my face so swollen I couldn't work for a few days as one eye was swollen shut but when I returned to work I was far more accepted because I'd warned other drivers first and they'd made sure that the person who attacked me knew he was marked.
It's strange but as a group taxi drivers stick together and look after each other and even after all these years I'd jump in to help them, even though they're not from the company I worked for.
