Paradise

When she was just a girl 
She expected the world, 
But it flew away from her reach 
So she ran away in her sleep

2:00

I'd say it's about naptime.

Driving in the Dark : Cruising with Fairfield Cab

Sure, it was Halloween, but I didn’t expect my afternoon to actually turn into a scene from “Friday the 13th.”

A year ago, my roommate and I ran over to Party City - along with half the student body - to pick up some last minute costume props (our theme was the Seven Deadly Sins; I was Wrath). 

After making our purchases, we waited on the curb in the chilly autumn air with our warm Starbucks in hand, and finally the Fairfield cab that we called for six years earlier pulled up. 

As we ran over to the car, I realized the driver was wearing one of those white hockey masks. Of course.

My roommate, either undaunted or unaware of this, scampered into the backseat. Amidst fleeting thoughts that perhaps I should have invested in that whip or those brass knuckles for my costume after all, I climbed in after her. 

The driver growled. Or maybe it was more of a groan... Whatever it was, my roommate responded by giving him our address.

I might be willing to chalk this up to the fact that it was Halloween, but there have been too many other shady encounters to let it slide completely. 

There was the not-unusual ride back from the movies with a broken meter (“Uhh, how ‘bout you give me $12?”). There was another ride back from the movies filled with the greasy garlic stench of stale Domino’s complemented by a back seat floor mat of semi-empty Wendy’s french fry containers. 

And then there was Clam Jam. 

Two of my friends and I joined the hundreds of other students flocking to the beach. The desk clerk at the cab company told us we’d have to wait at least an hour; eyeing our reaction, a man sitting on the bench near her stood up and announced, “Come on girls, I’m off duty right now but I’ll take ya.”

Following him outside, one of my friends seemed to realize at the same moment as I did that he was taking us not to a cab, but to his personal SUV. As our other friend climbed confidently into the backseat, she grabbed my arm and proclaimed through clenched teeth, “Risk assessment!” 

Admittedly, it probably wasn’t our best judgment call. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and we were pretty damn desperate to get to Clam Jam. And hey, we survived the cab ride; all I had to do was ignore the skull paraphernalia adorning the door locks and seat covers, fork over two dollars, and I was fine. Happy as a clam. 

Fairfield Cab seems to be growing quite the reputation lately. According to NBC Connecticut, two drivers were arrested in July: one charged with sexual assault of an 18-year-old female passenger, the other charged with purchasing alcohol for minors. In early August, two more drivers were arrested after breaking out into a fight. 

As students of Fairfield University, a large source of business for the cab company, what are we to make of this? My sketchy encounters have been harmless, but recent charges brought against some drivers are startlingly disconcerting and serious. 

Freshmen and sophomores aren’t allowed to have cars on campus. When the shuttle isn’t a viable or desired option, it’s convenient to have a local cab company to call on. But should Fairfield Cab continue to be trusted? It seems that will have to be decided in 2013 when the company’s current contract with the town closes.

For now, a bit of advice to underclassmen: just be smart. Crazy, late night cab rides are a part of the college experience. Simply be smart enough to recognize when a situation crosses the line from awkward to inappropriate. And when that line isn’t crossed, at least you’ll have some interesting stories to tell. 

Dear ol’ Grandpa may have made it to school and home again walking a mile uphill in the snow each way, but I made it to the beach and back in a Fairfield cab.

Hi

Well. I'm starting this new, public blog because I don't count Tumblr. I'll be posting randomly about random things in random lengths. Along with my own ramblings, I'll probably post songs and videos and such. And quotes. And whatever the hell else I feel like.
Next semester I'll be studying in Paris, so I'll use it then to document my adventures.
So enjoy!
Or don't.