Paradise Driver: 10/14/06

Saturday, October 14, 2006

FINALLY!!

A REALLY GREAT NIGHT

Logged on a few minutes past 7:00pm. It was my dreaded Friday night. My night to dispatch. But the Fates were smiling on me. TMR had the phone and he had just left for OGG. A welcomed 1 hour reprieve.

Then "thangs" started getting better. Picked up from The Grand to OGG about 7:40pm. My first time out of town in about three weeks. A nice way to start the night and, due to my turn around time, the earliest I could hook up with TMR would be almost 9:00pm. An additional hour of just driving.

Just as I cleared OGG, I received a call from some of my seasonal regulars at the south end of Kihei. They wanted to know if I could pick them up at 8:45pm and take them to Henry's. Made it there by 8:40pm.

Grabbed a steak and cheddar ciabata sandwich at the drive-thru of one of the "choke-N-pukes". Only took 10-minutes from placing the order until I reached the pick-up window. On Mau'i, the term "fast food" is an oxymoron.

Actually got to take two bites of my sandwich before I was ~~so rudely~~ interrupted by another assignment. Thats par for the course.

Picked up a couple from the south end of town and took them to the Renaissance and then was sent back to central Kihei for a run to the far north end of town.

When I cleared that I was assigned to get a guy from an apartment complex in north central Kihei. Spent 10-minutes looking for him before calling a "10-13" (no show/no load)

We were staying very steady and I immediately was assigned to a call at a private residence in far north Kihei. A guy and his lady going to Hapa's to celebrate his birthday. He planned to "PAR-TAY" all night and knew that he would be too drunk to even attempt to drive home afterwards. I wish more people were like that. Just for all of our health & safety.

As soon as I cleared, I was sent to the Kea Lani. A guy about my age and a lady companion in her early 40's. I wouldn't call either of the intoxicated, He seemed a bit shy and she compensated by being talkative, in a very genial way. He was new to the island and they were on a date. I dropped them at her house. During the trip she kept flirting with me (?!?). She wanted me to join them at "Little Beach", the nude beach down in Makena, on Sunday and then maybe come back to her place that evening to party with them. What a thrilling prospect. Not!

After that it was back down to The Shops At Wailea for a run back to an apartment complex near the "Triangle".

Finaaly hooked up with TMR at 11:00pm, in the FoodLand parking lot. Rather than handing over the phone, he said that since it was so late he would go ahead and keep it until 2:00am. The Fates must really be drunk. I got a "phone pardon"! I really appreciated the gesture and plan on pulling his phone shift next Thursday as a Mahalo.

Sat idle for about 15 minutes and shot the shit with TMR and globetrotting Tina. No matter how busy we are, 11:00pm is always slow. Most people are where they want to be and that is the period of heaviest drinking and dancing. Most of the 0.01% BA romances have passed the awkward intial verbal reparte and are settling whether it wil be "my place or yours?"

I was first up and the next call sent me out to the airport (OGG) for a run up the hill to Kula. I haven't been "up-country" since last spring. My second out of town run of the night. Fantastic!

I got back into Kihei about 1:30am and refueled Met TMR, picked up the phone and the reservations he had taken. Went out to The Grand and got their reservation sheet and compiled them together.

At 2:30am, I departed for a special pick-up from the Hyatt, in Ka'anapali. 2 people leaving at 3:30am, headed to OGG. A nice couple from Osaka, Japan. Starting the long journey home. I think they were newlyweds.

Since it was Saturday morning, traffic was extremely light. Stayed exactly on the speed limit the entire trip since I knew the airport is closed until 5:00am and we were going to be very early. And we were. Made the drop at 4:09am. Total trip time was 41 minutes for the 26 mile (42km) trip.

Flor had come in early to cover a 4:30am from The Grand to OGG and I turned the phone and reservations over to "Murph" just a hair past 5:00am.

While I only did 9 fares, I drove 213 miles, got out of town three different times (yipee!) and the meter was commensurate with the miles driven.

THE PICTURE GALLERY

The following are all from the Hana Town area.