Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All characters and names are fictional and were made up. I do not make money from these stories. Please do not copy and plagiarize my work.
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Los Angeles, California
Wednesday had come and gone and another day on the clock began at the early time of nine in the morning. The sun was still fresh after rising up early while the new set of tires rolled down the paved streets of Los Angeles. David sat behind the steering wheel of his new Silver Screen Express company van. A month had went by since he had to say goodbye to his precious old gold van. The company had overhauled everything from drivers to vans, drastically changing the work force and along with the company's reputation. Most of the time, a company would change like this under the guidance of a new CEO. That was no different under the Silver Screen name, but it was more or less to cleaning house and expansion.
It felt odd to drive around town without his trusty flip flops. For the first time in many years, David was wearing shoes and a paint of black pants. Along with the new van, all drivers were forced to wear a uniform for now on. He couldn't stand the button up black shirts and matching pants. This job wasn't supposed to be like working at McDonalds. David had heard about Uber drivers having freedom to wear whatever they wanted. Many complaints had been raised by other drivers at the company from the changes, but most of them were laid off and replaced. At almost fifty-years of age, David kept his mouth shut regarding that. Much of his problems with the new changes had to do with losing his old van. Only the beautiful fares who had stripped down in the back seat would understand his pain of losing that beloved vehicle.
Memories had been made from the back of that van. From the old cum stains to the old wear in the leather seats. David could've cried when he had to sign off and give the van back. For all he could guess, the previous Silver Screen vans would be broken down and disassembled for parts in a scrap yard. Or maybe they would find their way sold as second hand used vehicles. He could only wonder about someone randomly stumbling upon his van, unaware of all the many adventures that had unfolded from the back seat with women of fame. All of them, David could recall by name as he made special entries in his diary after the fact. At least he had that hand written book, he thought to himself. No one else in the world would believe his tales, he knew that for certain.
Silence filled the four inner walls of the vehicle as David continued to drive through the streets. For a moment, he had looked back at his aging face reflected across the rear view mirror above. It was angled at a degree where he could see himself and the back seat. The wrinkles running over his forehead often made him question what he was doing with his life. Almost to his middle ages and here he was, still driving a taxi van across L.A. There was always the point of reminding himself that he had been lucky in life, but that didn't matter at this point. Close to another birthday, David began to think how he had no family or legacy going forward in life. Still driving, he put his focus to the roads ahead of him, not wanting to pity himself. he was still getting used to his company assigned van, but that didn't mean he enjoyed driving this one.
Metallic silver was the color of choice for the van, replacing the gold look. A large company sticker was placed on all four sides of the van: the hood, both sliding back doors and then above the license plate on the back. The back was somewhat larger than the previous vans, offering more space. The black leather seats were replaced with a grey leather that matched the inside interiors. A bit of fancy wooden decorations were added to the door panels, something David didn't quite like. The wood pieces looked kitsch to his eyes and didn't fit in with the overall design. All the metal pieces were shiny silver from seat belts to the buttons for controlling the windows. Despite the grey appearance, the floorboard was black like the old gold vans.
The most striking addition that remained absent with the older vans was CCTV surveillance cameras. One camera was positioned in the front passenger side corner from the top to watch the drivers at all time. The other camera was in the back, facing the middle forward to capture images of the passenger. From that alone, David knew he couldn't continue his adventures as a sleazy cab driver. Driving under surveillance was enough to put a complete stop to David's old acts of seduction. The cameras recorded all actions, frames per second but without audio. He couldn't even so much as ask a woman to flash him with their tits, let alone offer a free ride for other reasons. All transactions for Silver Screen rides were now billed to credit cards or made over the phone before a destination was sent to a driver. New company policy had completely eliminated passing cash as a payment option. They blamed it on the COVID pandemic, but David knew better.
This new policy had put an end to the tips that drivers used to get. The only way to justify such an action was raising wages by only a dollar. David couldn't argue with the supervisors, but it led to an outrage among drivers who wanted to strike. After the last round of layoffs, David knew better than to open his mouth. This was the working man's blues, but it was all he had in life. Turning the steering wheel, he made a sharp turn in the streets, eagerly anticipating what would be his first call in for the day. The new vans were equipped with a full GPS system and interface near the console, just beneath the radio. David remembered vehicles from the 90s, absent of such fancy computers and other gimmicks that he considered them. If a driver couldn't learn their way around the L.A. streets, maybe they should've been searching for a better job than the taxi cars.
So far through the month, he had yet to pick up another famous passenger. Brie Larson remained his last one and if she were to be the final entry into his diary, David couldn't complain. He had spent time reading online back home when he was off work. It was funny to him that he had affairs with famous women from the back of his old van, some who he had lusted over for years. There were still some models he noticed and other actresses he could only dream of stepping foot in his van. Maybe those days were over though and he was left only with the memories and stories that no one else would believe. All of his pickups for the past month had been outside Beverly Hills, but no one famous. David would've liked to believe that one of the business men in a suit he had drove around the other day was a big name producer.
Perhaps that was only his imagination at work though, knowing some of the faces he had witnessed from the rear view mirror. Since Tuesday, David had mostly been stuck making trips through the gated communities, picking up fares from the massive estates there. As per the policy as a driver, he couldn't ask many questions about his passengers, but he liked a good conversation. Letting out a sigh, he continued to drive while using his right hand to lift a cup of coffee from the drink holder. He took a sip and then began to slow down. Pushing his foot down the brakes, he found himself stuck behind a black Mercedes Benz. A red light was visible as the van was at a four-way section. Swallowing down more of the coffee, he sat the cup down when the dinging alarm sound went off to the console terminal. Above the GPS tracking system was a new radio piece where vehicles previously had CD players.
"Anyone busy? I need a driver around Sunset Drive."
Reaching for the walkie-talkie piece, David grabbed it and pushed the button down before responding to the dispatcher. It was a male voice, someone new with the company working with a new fancy machine back at headquarters.
"Hey, David here in car two-oh-nine. I can make a pickup. I'm just a few minutes from around there."
"David huh? You're the driver this woman keeps calling for. Check for a woman with black hair and she says she's wearing a black dress outside of Dialog Coffee Shop. Car two-oh-nine, I am sending coordinators to you right now."
"Thanks, did she say where she wanted to go?"
"No, she told me that she would tell her driver. She's a regular customer, weird I know."
The walkie-talkie went to silence and David hung it up. He was somewhat puzzled to hear that there was a woman requesting him for a driver. By the choice words, she had been calling and searching for him. Maybe it was someone he knew from the past. Black hair and wearing black? There were many passengers he had affairs with who could fit that description. Nevertheless, he waited until the red light changed green and then it was time to change course. The GPS tracking system went off with a notification alert, mapping the new destination ahead for him. David didn't bother becoming distracted by the screen below. He didn't need a GPS tracker with his years worth of experience and knowledge of the streets.
Dialog Coffee Shop was in a shopping district, such a place that always had bumper to bumper traffic by the time the lunch hours had commenced. It was only ten minutes worth of driving for David. As he navigated the roads, his mind began to wonder who this woman was. If she were a regular fare for the company, she probably knew about other drivers. Why would she seek him out? Knowing his history of affairs, David could easily guess why. It wouldn't have been the first time that a woman went out searching for David the taxi man after hearing a tale from a friend. That was David's second guess, but the first option had him believing this was someone he had given a wild ride to in the past. Pulling out into a line of traffic, he took his time navigating the streets as the coffee shop came in sight.
Gazing forward, David could see the coffee shop in the distance. He was stuck behind multiple vehicles. A few cars and a similar van to the one he was currently driving. Pedestrians walked by from the streets, so he couldn't quite make out if his passenger was close by. A red light had halted all the cars in the line, giving David more time to glance from around as he was stopped. When the light turned green, he watched the car in front of him turn off and then he had a better view. Sure enough, there was a dark haired woman standing around outside the coffee shop. Her hair was pinned up in a high pony tail, black glasses shielding her eyes. The dress matched the description, a black strapless one piece that hugged some impressive curves and with a heavy cleavage about to spill out. David didn't recognize her but she had to be his fare calling for a ride. He pulled up to the curb and rolled the window down to the front passenger side.
"Hey Miss, are you looking for a ride?"
David spoke while offering a smile, watching as the woman raised her left hand to push her sunglasses up. She strutted her hips, walking by extending her left foot out before the right foot. If not for the sounds of cars passing by and other pedestrians talking in the distance, he may have heard the clacking of her high heels. A set of big brown eyes gazed up at him. Her soft pink lips curved into a smiling, flashing pearly white teeth as she approached the window and leaned down to poke her head in it.
"Your name's David, right? Are you Mr. David the taxi man?"
Hearing those words, David quirked his eyebrows up. Something about her face was familiar, as with the tone of her voice. He knew that he had not picked up this woman in the past, but perhaps he had heard that voice somewhere or seen the face elsewhere. Giving her a nod, he replied.
"Yeah, that's me. I heard you were looking for me, is that right?"
Still smiling the woman nodded her head.
