NIGHT CABBIE “Do you believe in God?” It’s not a topic I’m particularly eager to get into with my customers, even in the most convivial moments. The present circumstances are decidedly not ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE The man with the long, white beard careens out of the dive bar on Southeast Foster Road and into a parked car, his limbs jerking spasmodically. I help him peel himself off of the beat-up Taurus’ ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE “Dude, it takes forever to get a cab out here on Friday and Saturday nights.” I picked the guy up at a bar in Northeast Portland that, by a quirk of the company’s arbitrary zone boun ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE It’s Saturday night, and the weather’s miserable—which means business is fantastic. It’s almost 5 in the morning, and a big part of me’s ready to call it a night, go hom ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE “My brother-in-law, man, he go crazy on drugs.” “Oh yeah?” I picked the man up at the Emanuel E.R. “He stab my sister six times, but she gonna be OK.” We’re s ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE “Those people need a cab.” “Sucks for them,” I say as I pull into my friends’ driveway. It’s 2 o’clock on a massively busy night, and I’ve made enough m ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE “I’m headed to Emanuel,” says the middle-aged woman. It’s a short trip. “Everything OK?” “I’m blessed,” she says, her voice serene and sincere. Pa ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE “Sorry, I just got off the phone from finding out someone’s dead.” The guy was indeed a little late coming out. I tell him that it’s not a problem, and drive. “I’m ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE “Holy shit!” I blurt out, as my fare gasps in surprise. I swerve at 55 miles an hour, narrowly missing the dog that’s darted out into the middle of the bottom deck of the Fremont Bri ...   More

NIGHT CABBIE The guy with wide, crazy eyes has the door open and is sprawled across the backseat before I know what’s happened. I curse myself for not having the door locked, and am glad to hear that it&rsqu ...   More