We jumped into the cab to catch the movie Total Recall. We were headed for a crowded area called Bugis Junction in Singapore. "Hurry up, please," my friends told the cab driver, "or we will miss our movie." The cab driver glanced back at us dismisively and then shook his head. "I can't go any faster than this. Can't you see the clazy (crazy) tlaffic (traffic)?" he said pronouncing his r's as l's and vice versa. "I could go zooming through if I had a Fellali," he continued. "In a Fellali I could get you there soon, could even get you to heaven." He added laughing loudly and nodding at the same time. "All luch people in a hully to go up, that's why they buy a Fellali" he let out that laugh again. "Okay, okay," said my friend who was with me getting impatient with his monologue and said that we may not make to the movie, "You drive as you like but we need to go soon and maybe if you focus on the road, we will get there."
***
He looked back at us again visibly amused. "Only a hericopter can take you through the tlaffic," he nodded "That is the way of the lich. They are not satisfied, you see. Even the Fellali becomes slow for them, and then they buy a helicopter. Soon hericopter becomes slow. Then they must have a plane. Money buys everything. Money buys love," he laughed.
***
It was obvious the man was in pain and had suffered "No money, no honey. Love cannot buy money, but money can buy love," he forced his laugh this time. "No money, No love."
***
By now, we had decided not to go for the movie and instructed the driver to take a U-turn and drop us back to where he had picked us up. I relaxed back on my seat, now no more in a rush and started talking to him. "What about your love?" I asked him. "My wife was my love," he paused for a bit as if suddenly lost. "I worked hard all day and gave her everything I had. I bought her a house. She wanted more. I gave her more. But she wanted more and more. She forgot about me. She wanted to be lich, and could not understand why she was not lich. She wanted to leach the sky. No money no honey," he said, and for the first time his tone became sad. "But now" he almost shouted "Ican buy a lot of butterfries with money. I can buy love." It took me a few moments to understand the term 'butterfries'. For a moment I argued, "That is not love." He laughed "What is it lady, what is love?"
***
No doubt, our taxi driver was a bit "touched" in the head, although our conversation was a bit crazy, there was food for thought in what he said. Suddenly, as if brought back to the present moment about time and traffic, he said, "Nothing is the same any more about people. See how impatient your friends are. Train them to be calm. Do yoga," he laughed "I drive people everyday. They are stressed about time and traffic. These things are not in their or my control." I nodded agreeing. "Look how much time you and your friends wasted telling me to hurry. So busy looking ahead that you lost the present." I could go on talking to him. We reached our destination.
***
We paid him and I knew I would never see him again. It was a most interesting journey. Even though we never reached where we were originally headed.
***
"I am happy now. I changed my way of life and allowed people who were not happy with me to leave and go to what made them happier. And now," he laughed again, "there are many butterfries to give me love," looking pleased with his ability to have found peace and clarity - so what if it was through coloured lenses?..............
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