It was a dark and stormy night when I met Lisa for the first time. I limped and couldn't drive because I had epilepsy. I looked up "Taxi" through the Yellow Pages and after hanging up on various rude dispatchers, I found Economy Cab.

The cab came to pick me up an hour later. I slipped and fell on my way through my wet lawn to where the cab was parked. I opened the back door and got in. The driver didn't ask me where I was going, but said in disgust, "Not another crip!" 

I kept my temper and told him that I was on my way to Andino's Restaurant. He drove very slowly and asked, "Is it alright if I stop at Honeydew's for a coffee?"

I said, "No."

He then added, "Please?" 

I repeated, "No." 

He sighed and kept driving, eventually parking in front of the restaurant. I paid him the fare and hobbled out of the cab. I stepped in a deep puddle and hoped that Lisa was compassionate. I saw her standing inside the doorway. I stammered an apology and she said, "You were worth the wait."

© James Edward Kelley. Original for CCF (Kelley grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).