My younger brother – a non-native New Yorker – visited me in the city this past week. He remarked on how ridiculously easy it is to take a cab that will drive you anywhere in the city at your request. In light of his appreciation for cabs, I am dedicating this post to him.
Recently, I took a cab home from the movies (it was freezing cold & I was lazy) and my cab driver was blabbering on his phone in a language I couldn't understand. (See my past post about taxi drivers and their phone habits.)
I decided to do what everyone else does to pass the time and take out my phone. (Anything that requires waiting for more than 10 seconds means the phone must come out.) I had tuned my driver out and was scrolling through Christmas Eve pictures on Instagram when the background noise suddenly changed – he had stopped talking.
I looked up from my phone in confusion, wondering what had caused this period of silence, when the driver repeated, "Merry Christmas!"
Apparently, his phone conversation had ended and he had begun a conversation with me in the same breath.
I felt bad. I really did. But his intonations and inflections in wishing me this seasonal greeting in English were exactly the same as when he was speaking in his native language, and I did not notice the differentiation until there was a period of silence.
I appreciated the interaction, but I just didn't see (or rather, hear) it coming.
As soon as I wished him a Merry Christmas back, however, he picked up his phone and called another friend, leaving me to get back to Instagram.
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