What Took Ya?

I’ve chatted with my cab driver and he’s a smart fellow.  He proposes to wait for me as all I’m doing here at the Pudong airport is picking up a person and returning to the hotel he picked me up at, back in Puxi.  He offers to come up with me and I suggest its fine.  Just give me your number and I’ll call you when I’m back.  He’s continuing on about joining me and I’m beginning to wonder if he trusts me. 

There’s no place near the elevator door to park.  I’m running late.  “Here, I’ll settle for the ride out.  And then I’ll call you when I’ve got him.  Give me your number.”  He does.  It works.  I get my change and leave.  I’ll call you. 

A call rings and drops in the elevator.  He’s landed.  He calls again. “Hey I’m nearly through security.  “Ahh, cool.  I’ll look for you there in 5.”  But the security line to get into the airport is frightfully long.  I try to call his England number and it doesn’t seem to go through.  I get through and stare around at the passengers emerging until I understand I’m at completely the wrong place, as this is the domestic exit.  The international exit is a few hundred yards up.  I remember all this, as I consider my mistake. 

Over at the proper exit I bump into my driver.  “What took ya?”  “I see.  Indeed.  How’d you get here so fast?”  I just headed up the elevator.  There didn’t appear to be much of a line here at his entrance.  I check and I’ve got another text telling me to look for him by Starbucks.  I walk right by him at first but then I recognize him from the photo he’s shared.  He’s taller then me and he also drinks espresso.  The driver suggests he doesn’t need anything. 

Friday, 10/13/17