Saturday, October 18, 2008

Friday Night Drama

I had a reasonable night in the cab tonight, it started quiet but got really busy at peak hour (midnight) and didn't let up for the next three and a half hours. I had some drama about 11.30. I picked up abloke who was drunk and had fallen asleep at someone's house. When he woke up they were all gone. He complained about having to get a taxi home. He needed to stop at an ATM to get some money and while he was doing that a girl I know came running up in tears and great distress saying that her boyfriend had been hit in the eye with a stubbie and pleading with me to take them to the hospital. Of course I agreed, even though they had no money, but told them I had to drop customer #1 off first. When he got back in the car he was a bit surprised to see three new faces in the back, and being innebriated, began asking loudly who the %*&# they were and what they were doing in his cab. The bloke with the cut eye was already yelling and swearing and breathing murderous threats about the kid who had thrown the bottle at him and his girlfriend was losing it too, so there ensued an ugly shouting match in the cab as I was simultaneously trying to deliver #1 home and referee the conflict. Neither side were seeing reason, their capacity to do so no doubt clouded by excessive alcohol consumption, and in the kid's case, the anger, emotion and adrenalin of the original violence.
I finally got #1 out of the cab at which point, despite me having told him numerous times I was taking them to the hospital, he suddenly spotted the blood and gaping wound and said "What happened to you?"
We made it to the hospital a few minutes later, having endured a further stream of threats, expletives, and pleas for calm!
I did not envy the medical staff in the ER having to deal with this bloke. He was not seeing reason and he was highly agitated, a volatile mix!

The highlight of the night was getting a question right on Rod Quinn's quiz on the ABC Overnight show and going in the hat for the prize. Sadly I didn't win.
Rod gave me more latitude than normal in answering the question, perhaps because there'd been a long line of unsuccessful attempts before me and time was running out.
The question: 30 odd years before he won two Oscars, what important event did Jason Robards witness?
Think you know the answer?
Leave a comment.

2 comments:

Peter said...

I'm gonna guess..... Kennedy's assassination.

Marcus said...

No, much earlier, try again.