Paradise Driver: SOME NIGHTS

Friday, December 01, 2006

SOME NIGHTS

TURN OUT DIFFERENTLY

Newlyweds
Patrick & Ann Marie
Chicago Illinois
USA

On Wednesday night a cold front passed down the State. The further south it penetrated, the more it dissipated. By the time it reached Mau'i, it brought a few light showers to the north end of Kihei and eventually became a heavy mist that covered the entire south side. Our temperatures dropped with the inflow of the cold dry airmass. The highs and lows have fallen about 10 degrees each. Yesterday's high in Kihei was 77f (25c) and the low on my car thermometer, about an hour before sunrise, was 66f (19c). Our normal warm days and nights should return over the weekend. For me, that 10 degree drop has made for some great sleeping weather in the day.

Did 14 runs last night. 7 on each side of the midnight hour. The first 5 hours generated 34% of my meter for the night. My solo hours, from 2a to 5a, actually produced 53% of the meter. The tips ran from an insulting 10-cents ($15.00 on a $14.90) to an amazing $33.50 ($40.00 on a $6.50). Go figure?!

The only reservation we had for today was a 4:30am run to Ma'alaea. I covered that. I also had an unscheduled trip to OGG at 3:30am from Wailea. Dropped a very nice Japanese man, who was headed back home to Tokyo, at 4:00am. He had a 1 hour wait until the airport even opened. He really liked my Santa hat and beard (yes I do wear it everyday). He kept pointing at me, saying "Santa Claus" and beamed with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

My Ma'alaea trip was a crew member on one of the excursion boats. Due to another boat having problems and blocking his boat's berth the passengers had to be offloaded by the Coast Guard station. He, and the rest of the crew, hung around until their berth was cleared and then docked for the night. While waiting, they all had some beers to pass the time. He was smart enough to know that he was over "the limit" and took a cab home. I was taking him into work and back to his truck. He even commented that a cab is so much cheaper than a DUI. A man after my own heart. He was preaching to the pulpit on that one.

Just after I went "solo" I received a MPD request. A single female leaving from the scene of a domestic at a local condo. I arrive and she hops into the cab. I guessed her age as 14 to 16. Apparently she and her boyfriend had fought and he claimed that she had beaten him up. This little sprite was less than 5 foot tall (152.40cm) and might weigh 100 pounds (45.36 kilos) if she was in her water retention cycle. She needed a place to stay and didn't know where to go. At that point I raised my age estimate to 18. The police would not have let a minor go.

I remembered seeing that MOF (Maui Oceanfront Inn) had a sign announcing a "Manager's Special" of $119 a night. She told me she needed to go by an ATM to get cash for the ride. Smart kid.

The cops had told me that she was very emotional. I didn't see that. She was definitely pissed but seemed very much under control. The boyfriend called her 5 times during our ride. She never went ballistic and was completely composed on the phone. Her side of the conversation was cordial, firm and determined. She never utter a foul word during my entire time with her. She was not intoxicated either.

On arrival at MOF I went inside to inquire about a room for a very young, young lady. The night clerk said they had rooms available but that the guest had to be at least 21, with ID and a credit card. I walked back out and explained the problem about her age.

"Oh! That okay.

Today's my birthday.

I'm 23."

That clunking sound was my jaw impacting on the ground. I looked at her intently. I believed her but my eyes would not accept the fact that she looked like she might have been turning 18, not 23. She'll probably look barely 25 when she turns 40. Good genes.

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