Taxi at dawn

Before half past five in the morning, I dragged my luggage to the neighborhood gate. I saw the driver coming out of the back seat, turning around and reaching in, pulling out a blanket and folding it up.

It was a few days of cold weather in Shanghai, and the driver was still wearing a thin work outfit. He folded the blanket up with a shiver and put it in the trunk, and then put my luggage in.

After getting in the car, I chatted with the driver.

“Did you sleep on the side of the road last night?”

“I went to pick up a plane at midnight last night. The flight was delayed, and I got it delivered at around two o’clock, so I came straight here,” the driver said with a hint of sleepiness. He turned on the air conditioner, and the car warmed up a little bit.

“Do you only work night shifts? You carry a blanket with you.”

“I work both day and night,” the driver said after a brief pause. “I have to pick someone up later.”

“There’s only one passenger in this car, right?”

“My child.”

“This early? Are you picking him up to go to school?”

“No, there’s no one to take care of him at home. His mom has to go to work later.”

“How old is your child?”

“Three years old.”

“Doesn’t he go to kindergarten?”

“No.”

Because I didn’t know how long it would be delayed, I expressed my concern about missing my flight. The driver didn’t say anything, stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped off on the empty road. The car was as quiet as the street, and then it got on the highway and weaved through the merging traffic.

When I arrived at the airport, it was still dark. Looking at the driver’s hurried back, I thought I wouldn’t miss my flight.