One Last Ride

All these got damned red lights everywhere, Tessa thought frustrated beyond measure. Here she was, yet again, stuck at another stupid ass traffic light, on another shitty, rainy day. She looked down at her iPhone screen, checking the GPS dashboard on her Uber app for upcoming rides. “This stupid algorithm always takes me way out of bounds to the middle of no where..who the hell is taking a ride on sound avenue at this time on a Wednesday night,” Tessa said aloud to no one in particular, as she was alone in her car. I’m just going to have to start heading back towards the house. If I get a ride on the way that’s worth my while, I’ll take it. Simple.. don’t stress out, it doesn’t solve the issue, just relax. That’s what Jared would say.. it’s a proven fact, Tessa heard Jared’s lecturing voice reciting in her head. I wonder if he’s still up? Tessa thought as she looked up at the light which was now appeared to be yellow again. Shit! I almost missed it daydreaming, dammit! Tessa stomped on the accelerator with such force that she all but pushed it through the floorboard with anxiety, just missing the flash of the red light camera system. “YESSS!” She exclaimed aloud. “Thank God, I just couldn’t sit there for another three minutes and I damned sure can’t pay a ticket. “ she chuckled deviously to herself. Although talking to herself seemed to prove as plenty entertaining, Tessa grabbed her phone off her lap, and called Jared. After all, it was only ten, and work never stopped him from staying up all night researching a new hobby, or excessively gaming, on any other occasion. He answered on the second ring with his usual “Hey, everything alright?” “No. The lochness monster just appeared in the middle of sound avenue, and swallowed sterling and I whole. Currently calling from the inside of it’s intestines” “Whatever. By the way, for the record, I still think Sterling is a stupid name for the car. “And I think it’s stupid that you ask me this EVERY time I Uber, like I don’t share my ride progress with you through the platform.” Tessa heard Jared’s scuff through the speaker. “Sorry but, I’m not on the App non-stop watching you swerve the blocks in your little BMW.. even though it does look pretty cool,” he laughed. “Good to know.. that definitely makes me feel confident with my ride share choices, glad you got my back,” Tessa chuckled. “I Periodically check in every half hour or so, just to be sure of your location, and if you’re mobile or sitting for a while, you know, any red flags or stuff like that.” “Are you kidding me?” Tessa exclaimed in an over dramatic gasp. “Every half-hour?! Do you know how much can happen in a half an hour? Shit, I could rob a bank, get stuck up and shot, get pregnant, lo-“ “Alright, we get it, Drama Queen.” Jared had cut in, sensing an oncoming rant approaching. “I’m just saying, “ she Interjected. “Sounds like you’re just ranting,” Jared scoffed. “Well, I need to do something to pass the time. The ride back is long as hell.” “You heading back already for the night? It’s only ten.” “Yeah, I mean-I’m still online but, it’s dead out here so unless I get something heading back towards the house, this chick will be throwing in the towel for the night. It’s a weekday anyway,” Tessa sighed dryly. “I mean, how far are you coming from?” “I’m literally on sound avenue.. thirty-eight damned minutes away from my house.” she heard Jared’s sigh through the receiver. “Yeah, I would just head home for tonight.. did you make your quota?” “Actually…”now it was Tessa’s turn to sigh again. It’s like we’re taking turns in some weird game of tag, she thought. “I’m exactly twelve dollars and forty-three cents behind…only two of these bastards tipped! Everyone is so cheap nowadays! You’d think that they would show some sort of appreciation towards a driver in the middle of a pandemic, with inflation shooting up at the rate of a heroin addict.” Tessa was quickly working herself up to a state of exasperation. “Tess, you’re doing it again. Relax. Ranting isn’t going to help anything. Just head home for the night. Everyone knows the weekend brings the clubbers, and drinkers, and drunks bring in better tips.” Tessa snorted. “Yeah, and they also bring in bigger headaches. You know, I have no patience for idiotic, drunks, especially men. I literally picked a sixty-six year old man up from Misfits last week, and as I was dropping him off to his home retirement complex, he tried to get me to come in for a drink. I was astonished.” Jared laughed. “I don’t know why it surprises you honestly, you can’t blame him for trying.” Tessa burst out laughing wildly. “Come on, Jared; does it even work anymore at that age? Grow up, he’s older than my Dad. That’s disgusting.” Bah-dung. A notification for a new ride sounded out as she was speaking, and she looked over at her phone resting in the holder on her car’s dashboard. “Oh shit, Jay! Look’s like I may have found one last ride for the night!” “See, look at that! Told you, just have to stay positive, relax, and keep going, Tess. Things will come to you naturally when you try, and you always do. How far is it?” Tessa smiled to herself, even though she knew Jared couldn’t see her reaction through the phone line, since they weren’t on a video call. He always seemed to calm her down and reassure her. “Thanks, Jay. I hope you’re right because I really am trying. It's hard sometimes, you know..but, It says I'm three minutes away. Hold on, let me see.” Tessa pulled her little, white BMW over to the side of the road, and began scanning the app’s screen for details. Hmm, that was a bit odd. “So, It says it’s for Hailey, and that she’s three minutes away but, when I pull up the navigation and look at my destination, it lists the name of the street I’m supposed to pick her up on as ‘Unnamed Road’. What the hell is that?” “I mean, some roads are known to have blatantly pointless, or idiotic names all the time so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an actual road named unnamed road out there.” Jared laughed as if this were the funniest revelation in the world. “Yes but, when I put it into my Apple Maps navigation it doesn’t register as a road either.. it says the closest Unnamed road is Curva de Cascavel, Brazil, and driving directions aren’t even available for that..I don’t know, isn’t that kind of weird to you? It’s ten thirty at night, I’m basically in the middle of nowhere, driving through a farmland that resembles the walking dead, and now I get a cab call to an unnamed road.. I don’t know about you but, it’s definitely giving me cheesy, horror movie vibes,” Tessa contemplated. “I get why you would be worried but, honestly Tess, they’re constantly fixing the roads here. It’s New York, even worse-it's Long Island. This is the state where driving everyday means going through an agility course of craters, road ragers, and construction closures because every five and a half feet there’s a damned pothole. They’re constantly restructuring so, It’s not really that bizarre or unusual, in my opinion but, I understand where you’re coming from. I just think you might be over-dramatizing it a bit, like you usually do, with most things.” Tessa objected indignant “Alright, ass. I’m going to head over there now, since I’m dramatic, and if anything happens to me it’s on you!” She shifted her car into drive and began heading towards the rider, Hailey. Jared sighed, “you’ll be fine, Tess; you always are. You know I’m going to stay by my phone in case anything happens and I’ve got your location on the app. If you want to keep me on the phone for the ride and mute me you can, if you feel safer, you know that, but, I really don’t think that’s even necessary.” “Does that mean you’re going to be annoyed if I actually do wanna stay on the line for the ride?” Tessa retorted, an edge of annoyance in her tone. “No, I just think you’re a big girl, who is very capable of doing things on your own, that’s all.” Jared said to Tessa, and she couldn’t help but, hear the beginnings of a lecture on co-dependency in his tone as she made a right onto a dark gravel strewn pathway. “RIght, well, let’s start that tomorrow, and not now when I’m driving down gravel pathways at eleven o’ clock at night.” “It’s funny how every time you refer to the time you add on a half hour yet, we’ve only been speaking for a total of about three minutes.” “Shut up, jerk! It’s late! That’s the point! And this-this is weird, Jay.. it’s pitch black outside I cannot see a thing, even with my headlights.” Tessa felt a slight twinge of worry sliver through her spine, causing her to shiver. Although the tints on her car windows often made it harder to see things out of at night, her windshield was not tinted at all, which should mean she should be able to see something.. anything. “It says keep going straight for three hundred and fifty feet but, I don’t see anymore road?” Tessa made a U-turn, then parked her vehicle, glancing around nervously. Maybe I should just quit while I’m ahead, twelve dollars isn’t that bad at all, she thought to herself silently. “Do you wanna try giving the rider a call, and I’ll stay on the other line?” Jared’s voice chimed through her car bluetooth, forcing her voice back out of her head. “Yeah, maybe I’ll try once. I didn’t want to take you off the line but, I should disconnect the bluetooth now so you can mute yourself and stay on the line anyway. Hold on a sec.” “Got ya, I’m here, take your time” Tessa took her phone out of the dashboard holder, and turned her bluetooth off entirely. Welp, that avoids any slips ups with that shit, she thought. She clicked the dial in icon on the left, bottom-hand corner of her Uber dashboard, and requested to contact the rider. Her phone began to beep, as the screen lit up indicating the usual 1-800 number associated with Uber. They always provided a separate contact line that created a safe, secure way for drivers and riders to communicate with each other, without utilizing their private, personal contact information. She answered the call quickly. The familiar, automated, male voice came into her ear “To reach the rider, press 1.” Tessa followed the prompt, and was met almost immediately with a voicemail. “Hi, you’ve reached Hailey. Sorry I missed your call-“ Tessa hurriedly hung the phone up, cutting Hailey’s pre- recorded greeting off mid sentence. She was annoyed now. She pressed the button on her phone to release the hold on Jared’s line. “Jay?” She paused waiting for a response from the other end. “Yeah? Still here. Any luck?” Jared responded a moment later. “No. I’m just gonna cancel. I just tried to call and the phone went straight to voicemail-didn’t even ring. I don’t have the patience, it’s too late for this shit tonight.” She pulled up the uber dash, intent on canceling the ride. She was just selecting the reason as to why she’d be cancelling tonight’s trip when a sudden, loud rap of knocks reverberated against her backseat, passenger window. Innately tense, Tessa whirled around, and was startled by the sight her eyes had met.

4:07 PM EST S.B. Thompson - 09.28.2022

First Installment