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empty dark sidewalk.  He stopped to look back.  “But, don’t worry.  Now that I know what reality you’re in I’ll be back.”  He smiled again.  “We’ll catch up on old times.  I’ll come back in a couple of days.”  He said, and he ran off down the sidewalk, disappearing in the night.
          Rick watched him go in complete surprise.  What the..?   Be back?  He doesn’t even know where I live, he thought.  Then he realized that Mel had never paid him for the ride.  That little son of a…
          The sound of his radio squawking caught his attention.  It was dispatch urgently trying to get him.  “580?  580?  Please come in.”  The voice was frantically calling out his cab number.
         Rick fumbled with the microphone and keyed.  “580. What’s wrong Mike?”  He could tell it was the voice of the night manager, a man not known for his calm, cool demeanor.
          “Rick we need you to come back in, urgently.”  Mike’s voice was full of stress and alarm.
           Rick couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  He looked disgusted at his dashboard as he held the mic poised to respond. “What’s wrong, Mike?”  He finally keyed back.
           “Um, there’s someone here to see you.  Like now.”  Mike quickly shot back.  His voice was filled with the same painful stress and angst that marked his usual disposition, but this time, it was emphasized a few octaves higher.
           “Now?  This late?  What is it, some government spooks or something?’  Rick was desperately fighting the urge to drop the mic and follow Mel.
           “Yeah, I think so.  Two government guys.  They say they want to talk to you.  I don’t know about what.”  Mike threw in an extra tremor of impatience to drive his point home.
           You’ve got to be freakin’ kiddin’ me, Rick thought.  There’s no way this night could get any more messed up.  “Has it got to be now?”  He asked.  Obviously life, that infinitely capable entity of chaos and disruption, had finally turned its head in his direction and noticed that he didn’t have enough weird things going on.
         “Yeah, now.”  The night manager nearly commanded.
         Rick shook his head.  “Tell ’em to hold on.”  Rick threw down the mic and reached over to close his driver’s door.  I need to quite this crap and get a real job, he thought.  But, he thought that all the time, every night in fact, for the last 15 years
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER TWO
     
    Rick’s Spectacular Event
     
     
     
              Rick’s mood had only soured more when he finally pulled into Tampa Taxi twenty minutes later.  The short drive to home base just allowed him the time to multiply his frustration.  Life was laughing a hearty and robust laugh right now at his expense.  He sensed it was only going to get worse. On top of all of this, he was not in the right frame of mind to deal with the neurotic basket case that was Mike Lowery, night manager and general pain in the posterior.  But, life ensured that Mike was the first one waiting for him, around back near the garage, when Rick pulled in.  He met Rick at his door as he got out, his face pale and lips drawn tight with tension.
         Rick waved him away.  “Seriously Mike, back it off will you?”
         The night manager wasn’t deterred.  “Rick, I have to tell you this has me worried.  This sort of thing has never happened before.  What have you been into?”
          Rick shot him an angry glance.  “What are you sayin’, Mike?  I haven’t been into anything.  I’ve been working.  How much extra time do you think I have anyways?” He started toward the service door while Mike followed nervously behind him.   Mike was always the nervous type, fidgety, and fast talking.