It was about 12:15 on a warm Thursday night in August. I drove my cab down the street, humming to the tune on the radio as I aproached my detination.
By the time I reached the Sheriton, it had started raining. The windshield wipers slid back and forth in front of my face as the door opened and two passangers climbed in.
"236 Spruce Street please," grunted the gentleman.
"Sure thing buddy." I spat out my usual reply as I began driving and listening to the conversation unfolding in the back seat.
"There was nothing wrong with what I did," the gentleman told his companion. She just glared at him, her eyebrows raised and her lips clenched shut.
"Well, ok, maybe I shouldn't have insulted his mother or pushed him, but he was asking for it."
"Tom, he was just being friendly. He didn't want to ignore me."
"Look, a wave or a casual hello is being friendly. Walking up and giving you a back massage is more than that. And then when you kissed him!"
"Oh, don't be such a child. You know that I still see Jim fairly regularly. You are not the only man in my life."
"It's just that I don't understand how you can like that idiotic moron."
"Sometimes you are just such an imbecile!" She let out a loud sign and turned to glare out the window. He just sat there and stared straight ahead.
In the rear view mirror, I could see the angry expression on her face. Right then, we stopped at a red light. She turned from the window to speak to Tom again.
"Why can't you just be civil to him? Especially since you know your behavior will upset me."
"It's the way that he acted and the way that he spoke to me. I just can't stand to be around him."
"Well, I can stand to be around him but lately it's been getting harder to stand being around you."
"Then maybe we shouldn't be around each other so much."
"Maybe," she shouted then turned and rested her head on the window. She stayed that way, silently staring out for the remainder of the ride.