Taxi Cab (Part III)

She thought long and hard that evening about the bag with the voice not worthy of hearing...and about the man in the taxi cab. The sense of peace he brought to her with each visit. She liked how she felt when around him. She saw beauty and depth in those blue eyes, his heart laid out to be loved. She wondered what it would be like to be closer to him...and drifted off to delicious sleep.

The next morning she gathered her bags and set out for the day's journey. She looked for that voice as she walked...hoping she did not lose it in the taxi cab. She realized that she had been walking in circles for quite some time...much like that voice had talked circles around itself.

The taxi cab pulled up and she got in. She sank into the seat with a feeling that his sleep was much like hers the night before. He drove for a while without saying a word. It was her turn to talk.

"I think I may have lost the contents of another bag last night", she said after clearing her throat. "That voice wasn't worthy of being heard, so if you found it, I hope you did not listen. Truth be told, I never liked that voice. It never expressed my needs the way I wanted it to. I'm glad to be rid of it and embarrassed by the way it represented me."

He gave her a smile that said, "I'm listening." She picked up on his cue and began to talk. She talked the entire ride, but the tone was very different than before. She did her best not to rehash what had "been done to her". She took responsibility for her life and her actions for the first time. Her voice was in harmony with her words and pleasing to the ear. Every so often she'd naturally stop and listen to what he had to say. The more she concentrated on truly hearing and connecting with him, the stronger her own voice became.

He drove her around for hours, until their voices were tired. The last breath they shared that evening was a kiss. A gentle and long awaited embrace.

She tucked her new voice into the bag, but realized the contents of the third bag were now gone.

"Wait!", she shouted. He turned around to look at her.

"I dropped something in the back of the cab again...Um, never mind, I can wait until tomorrow...it was old and stale anyway. I will see you tomorrow, yes?"

He grinned and drove off.

She knew the direction she'd take tomorrow and he knew he wanted to be part of it.