A leading news item on televison last night had me recalling a passenger encounter from some months ago. It occurred during a period of continuous work when shifts become indistinguishable and ten fares became a thousand. However this particular sleazebag was not easily forgotten.
Early one busy Friday evening at a western suburbs hotel, I was hailed by two scruffy builders labourers lugging eskys. We waited a few minutes for another labourer to finish his beer, who upon boarding, immediately threatened to bash me for keeping them waiting more than an hour. Luckily he settled down after being told by the others I wasn’t their booked cab. But he was still aggressive enough to give me attitude from go to whoa.
To avert him from blowing up the stereo speakers I engaged him in some cursory conversation regarding his background. Whilst the other two passengers were of Eastern European origin, this bloke was an aboriginal aged around thirty from a far western NSW town, heavily populated with aborigines. I vaguely recall him raving on about land rights and stuff and how much better life was back home with ‘me mob, eh’.
Three or four times per year he came to Sydney to work for a few months, he explained, "so I can go back home and party, eh. Get some of that sweet warra, eh. You like warra, bro ?" I feigned ignorance until finally, after continuously being challenged I enquired what ‘warra’ was.*
Actually I had a fair idea what it was, though not of the type he promptly described, "Warra, f... !? Warra’s hairless pussy, bro, just like shaved pussy. You like that, bro...eh, eh ? Yeeeahhh...we know ya love it, doncha bro?" And he laughed evilly, turning to his work mates for support. But they just ignored him and sullenly stared out the window, obviously disgusted by his filthy mouth. Understandably too as I’d never had a passenger, or anyone, boast about this vile predilection.
Their destination, a major western suburbs railway station, was crowded with office commuters from the City and a young woman waited to board. The scumbag gave her some chat and opened the front door for her in a seedy attempt to appear chivalrous. Taken aback she warily climbed in, then he leant right across her to snarl in my face, "Make sure you get her home safe, bro, or I’ll find ya and bash ya, eh ?" Sure, brother.
* I’m uncertain if ‘warra’ was the exact term used but it sounded like that.
I bet you were glad to see the end of that fare.
To damage our environment should be a crime; to damage someone's property *is* a crime; to hurt another living human being is a crime of the worst order; but to damage a child... *shudder*
Posted by: MikeFitz | June 16, 2007 at 10:45 AM
Forgive my reaction, but that bastard should be shot.
Posted by: Watson | June 16, 2007 at 10:55 AM
You kept him waiting an hour? Jeez, the poor bloke had to force down an extra 5 schooners...
Posted by: Anthony | June 16, 2007 at 09:03 PM
Anthony, I had just delivered a fare to the hotel and the labourers wrongly assumed I was their booked cab.
Posted by: adrian | June 17, 2007 at 06:44 AM
If someone's been waiting an hour for a booked cab, I reckon that it's probably not going to come and they are perfectly entitled to climb into the first cab that shows up.
Posted by: CanberraCabbie | June 18, 2007 at 10:51 AM
This news article sounds like it is about your passenger.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070621/ap_on_re_au_an/australia_aborigines
Australia to ban alcohol for Aborigines
"...Prime Minister John Howard was responding to a report last week that found sexual abuse of children to be rampant in indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The report said the abuse was fueled by endemic alcohol abuse,..."
Posted by: p9we8ugvf9g21 | June 23, 2007 at 09:31 AM