Brief Encounters 

 

For many, their meeting with Vanessa is an all too brief encounter - soon forgotten. For others I’m quite sure Vanessa leaves a lasting impression - or at least a lingering curiosity.  By inviting my passengers into Vanessa’s world, I’m kind of testing the waters for semi-soul mates - playful people who consider reality to be a good guess at best.  These people are comfortable with an occasional jaunt to the other side. They often read fiction and recognize Vanessa's karmic power and literary potential.  These are the special  passengers, who are open minded and able to step outside their harried existence for a few moments.  

 

With surprisingly good timing, Vanessa often barges right into the conversation,  She knows her cues. Her businesslike command usually goes something like,  “In a quarter of a mile take a right turn on Geary Street.”  I point towards the dash and say, “That’s Vanessa. What she lacks in personality, she makes up for in knowledge.”  If Vanessa misses her cue, I might say, “She’s a bit shy at first, but if you treat her nicely, she’ll eventually warm up to you.”  

 

If their discomfort persists as in, What’s with this guy?, I let things drop.  It generally awkward from then on.  I might invite them to write a note in the passenger Treasure Chest and that usually relieves some of the tension.  But, there’s a real risk in introducing my imaginary companion.  If they don’t get it, I might get rated really low. Each Lyft driver is rated by passengers with one to five stars after the Lyft.  If my driver’s rating trends below 4.5 average, I’m eventually “deactivated” – a euphemism for fired.  Every driver knows this and it creates a kind of risk adverse approach to dealing with passengers.  So by chancing it by introducing Vanessa, I could be gone.  It would take more than a few passengers to give me a 3 star for this to happen, because you my ratings are weighted over a sample with at least 100 ratings,  So far almost all my passengers have been cool with Vanessa.  Even with a few lowballs,  I’m about a 4.85.  One guy, though, added a note to his rating. “Nice guy – but a little weird.”  

 

I don’t think he got it.