I took a cab today to a doctor's appointment on the other side of Jerusalem, with my infant nestled in her Baby Bjorn Active (even this part of the story would never happen in America).
We'd traveled about 3 blocks when I heard the cab driver calling his friend, a makolet (convenience store) owner, and telling him in Hebrew that he'd be there in half a minute.
And I concluded that since the doctors office was more than half-a-minute away, he must be making a pit-stop (not that he felt the need to inform me). I asked myself, "Why is it that all drivers seem to be best friends with people who sell food?"- based on the many times I'd seen city bus drivers being passed a falafel in the middle of the street, in the middle of their shift.
In this case, my driver needed a bottle of water (yes, the meter was still running on this small detour but I didn't make it an issue because water is important).
To receive the bottle from his friend and pay him, he stopped in the middle of the road, diagonally, across the ONCOMING traffic lane, which was curving around a bend in front of the store. He didn't pull 'over', he pulled 'across'.
After getting the water and thanking his friend, he pulled back onto the lane moving in the proper direction, nanoseconds before the oncoming traffic collided with his diagonal and backwards (in their lane) vehicle.
Now, I had an infant strapped to my chest, and it was objectively dangerous, so I involuntarily let out a scream when this stunt happened.
To which he replied, 'What- you think they wouldn't stop for you? You're ehhhm...a VIP!'
Thanks for the compliment? It's just this invincible Attitude, and if you don't have it, you must not be truly Israeli.
Friday, August 13, 2010
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4 comments:
Wow. Just wow. I'm American and have barely been to Israel, so it's hard to imagine these stories. But then again, I am a New Yorker and I don't understand what people mean when they say that New Yorkers are gruff. So I guess it's just a matter of what you are used to.
You've been busy! I can just picture it. You really captured a quintessential Israeli cab experience.
Have you noticed any attitude rubbing off on you in other, non-life-threatening ways?
It's gruff but also really sweet at the same time. It's sort of maddening in it's paradox.
something different-
i know what you mean about New York- it has a flavor of pushiness all its own but you don't notice it if you're native.
rivki-
I guess I have a more cavalier approach- I mean I do get in cabs with a baby bjorn rather than a strapped-in car seat.
anon-
so true- like, he offered me his water. you want to get mad, but they are really wonderful at the core. and they take risks because they have very strong internal faith that everything will work out.
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