Brexit. Trump's victory in the American Presidential Election. Sharan Osborne's return to the British X-Factor.
All these tragedies combined with an ongoing back problem, an eight hour plane journey with just enough leg room for a member of the species homo florensis ( our dwarf relative for those fortunate enough not to study evolutionary anthropology) and significant jetlag, made moving from the train pretty strenuous. With the knowledge that I would be racing in the European Cross Country Trials the following day, I cannot say I was in a conducive mind-set to race, let alone function as a civilised member of society.
Stumbling off the train at Liverpool train station, lines of people stood lining up for taxis. Ignorance, pure ignorance, I mumbled under my breath as I clicked on my beloved, somewhat over-used uber app. My mother embraced me as she acknowledged my supreme intelligence. I undermined the taxi system, I thought to myself gleefully.
No less than thirty seconds later did a shining black Toyota Prius pull up alongside us. "I guessed it was you from the North Face jacket" said our uber driver. Little did we know that we would be getting to know, Craig- 4.8-star rating, rather well over the course of the day.
The journey began with the standard uber conversation:
"what do you do in your spare time?"
"what do you think of the employment controversy of uber last month?"
Riveting stuff.
But then Craig shocked us. "Do you like Chinese food" he asked us. "Well if you do, don't eat there" ( points to an arch to our right) "China town is garbage". "It's better to eat just across at Mimi's". It turns out you were a chef Craig and were planning on making a good steak, with homemade peppercorn sauce and dauphoinse potatoes later that night. You even gave us the recipe.
Thanks for the wifi in the car Craig. Since my American phone plan doesn't give me any data, the wifi provision in the car was a life saver. Not only did it allow me to post my daily instragam photo but we could find the actual address where you would drop me off so I could run the course the day before. Sefton Park Croxton road/war memorial.
Thanks for letting us know that no uber drivers would be heading over to the area once my run was over. I mean you really didn't have to wait for me in the car and keep my mum company. I'm sorry you had to watch my strip into my running gear in the back seat of your car and I'm even sorry you had to make small talk with my mum for the twenty minutes while I was gone. You told me I was the first sober girl ever to get changed in the back of his car. I'm glad I was the first.
I'm sorry you had to watch my strip into my running gear in the back seat of your car
I really didn't expect you to go to the effort you made for - making my mum coffee in the car with the handspresso machine in the boot of your car was seriously something else. It's good coffee too, I can vouch for that when you made me one whilst driving us to the hotel. You even got me a brochure from the backseat because I praised the cup you made me. You should go into marketing; you sold it pretty well.
making my mum coffee in the car with the handspresso machine in the boot of your car was seriously something else
Thanks for remembering what flavour gum I like when my mum forgot. It was really kind of you to take her to get a bottle of water too when I was gone too. I drank most of it. The cold water and freshness of my green orbit gum was exactly what I needed.
You really didn't overcharge us Craig. I mean $26 for over an hour? You told us you made more in ten minutes on a Saturday night. We would have paid you more, I swear. You even helped me get my suitcase out and into the hotel. It was pretty heavy.
Craig, you made my day. Actually Craig, scrap that. You made my week. You reminded me that regardless of the dire political and economic states of my two residences (London and North Carolina), there are still some incredible people out there. You may not have written an acclaimed novel on the collapse of the Soviet Union or performed Chopin blindfolded but you made me and my mum smile a lot.
So, If anybody knows an uber Driver in Liverpool called Craig, please get in touch. He has been married for nine years, has two children and really hates the Chinese food in China Town. He likes the Spanish tapas place opposite though and we would really like to take him and his wife out one time when I'm back in England (I know we tipped you a tenner but I think you deserve a bit more of a thank you Craig).
Craig- 4.8 star rating, you definitely deserve a 5.