Deep shit

I arrived at the taxi headquarters under the freeway around 5:30 am. Santos was just getting off his night shift.

"How was your trip to Germany?" he said.

"Good. It was really awesome."

"Feel like taking me home?"

"Sure."

"Do you know your cab number yet?"

"331," I said when I found the cab number on my waybill.


The guy with the mustache and backwards leather cap said "I saw you on Craigslist." I had noticed him several times before in the taxi office, probably because he always wears the backwards leather cap. Also, there is something pleasant about the way he walks.

"Oh yeah?" I said.

"Yeah. Sometimes I read Craigslist."

"So what did you read?"

"Ummm, 'goth girl'?"

"Okay."

"'First day'."

"Okay."

And 'coffee date'.

"Ah. Cool."

"That's all, I think."

"What's your name?"

"Doug."

"Vera." We shook hands.


I went outside, got into cab 331 and parked it outside the office with the flashers on, waiting for Santos. As we pulled away from the lot, I said

"I'm in really deep shit."

"What happened?"

"I got a letter from the IRS. Saying that I owe them twelve thousand dollars."

"What for?"

"Well, in 2005? I was still working for a software company. And I had all these stock options. And I sold all of them that year. And I reported the profits I made from them on my tax return. It was about $10,000 in addition to my regular salary. But now the IRS is saying that there is $30,000 that I didn't report. I'm going to look into it with an accountant this weekend."

"I think it'll be okay. Don't sweat it. It's not like you did it on purpose."

"I know."

Driving on 3rd Street near Folsom I said

"When I was in Germany, I visited my grandpa's grave. He died last November."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. I believe in life after death so it's not that hard for me. I can feel him around me all the time. I think he is protecting me now."

"Ah."

"So what is he going to do about those twelve thousand dollars, I wonder," I laughed.

"I just received the message from him to convey something to you that will make you not freak out. So just relax. Everything will be okay."

"You are so good."