OII #10- Yet Another Driver

Somehow, Israeli taxi drivers are the best of the bunch. Seriously, I have more special stories involving taxi drivers than I think any other 'group' in Israel- and I usually take buses!

However, this week, although I took a bus to the Geulah neighborhood of Yerushalayim, I felt it practically impossible for me to take a bus home, as I was laden with packages, food, and NBD.
So, I started to snag a cab.

Now for those of you who know Geulah, and who know how to catch a Monit (taxi) there, you know it's a busy and dangerous business.
I usually head down Malchei Yisroel, until I reach a corner- because that way the taxi can pull over without blocking traffic, and without having everyone and his neighbor beep their horns insistently.

So, I did so, and a nice taxi pulled over. Now, again, usually, the driver doesn't have a chance to get out of the car, as the cars behind him would threaten to murder him if he blocked their right of way, so I prepared to fold up the stroller, put NBD in the back seat, and place the stroller in the trunk by myself.

Yet, the driver got out of the car and helped me do all of that, all with a smile on his face. When I told him I was ok- he said, "But I want to help!"

We got in the car, and were on our way. About 10 minutes into the drive, he started to munch on a bag of roasted peanuts. He turned to me and said, "Would you like some? They're so tasty!"
When I refused at first, he kept pressing them on me, so I took a few and made a bracha to please him. Yes, they were delicious, and I told him so. When he heard that, he offered me the whole rest of the bag! Now, I had just taken them to be polite, not to take his snack- so I refused. But he insisted on giving me the address of the store, so I could get some of these "Tayim"- tasty peanuts.

Last but not least, on the way back, he closed his window, remarking that he wanted to close it for the baby's sake. When I said that NBD had a hat on, and it was okay if he'd like to open it, he turned to me and said, "But you have to be extra careful for the baby's sake, even if she has a hat!"

Truly a wonderful experience. I love meeting people with such Simchas HaChayim- joie de vivre.
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