The Impossible Quest Of Hailing A Taxi On Christmas Eve Read Free

death will bear the gravitas necessary to sink in
your thoughts. Please, my invaluable partner, please, read it and
think about your own life. As I lay here in my bed, between feeling
ill from medicine that was meant to make me well and vomiting from
the medicine that combat the first one's side-effects, I have had a
long time to think my life over. Money is not all there is in this
life. The truly precious stuff can't be bought. And if you have
them, treasure them while you can because time is fleeting. By now,
I assume your business acumen has brought our company - your company I guess -
to its previous positive profitability. I know you like to keep a
tight leash on expenses and that sometimes drives a wedge between
you and people, so please don't do that. Do not make the same
mistakes I did. Do not die alone. It's still early, there is still
time to change your fate. Merry Christmas, dear friend."
    The
video ended and Scrooge lay silent, staring at the paused digital
ghost. Marco had been more than his business partner. He was his
friend, he trusted him with finances, with decisions that would
affect both their lives. What little competition there was between
them was nothing but a game, a nod from one to another to push
forward, to do good business deals, to bring in more customers, to
make more money. For both of them.
    He
hadn't expected to hear his voice again after so many years, tired
and weary from the illness. This was a message that was supposed to
be delivered six years ago, forgotten in a computer. Scrooge
couldn't help but wonder, could his late partner be right? Was the
path he was on the wrong one? Was it too late?
    "Bah!"
Scrooge blurted out and dismissed the video. He tried once more to
connect to his accounting service, and this time it came through.
He updated the accounts Clara had left for him, left the system
upgrade half-finished and closed shop for the day.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Stave
Two
     
    Outside in
the street, it was getting darker and chillier. It was Christmas
Eve, downtown Athens was decorated with lights and snowflakes,
people were cheerful going up and down, carrying wrapped gifts and
last-minute dinner shopping. It wasn't snowing, but it was chilly
enough to see your breath and frost windows.
    Scrooge
rubbed his hands together, tightened his old and patched coat and
got to the street corner. He took out his phone and used the
Supertaxi app, to call up his usual ride home. It only showed one
available driver, and Scrooge grunted. "A 4.6 star rating! Really,
I should send them a firm email about their low hiring standards.
The man might as well be a drunkard, for what I know!"
    He tried
again for a few minutes but then decided to hail the driver through
the app. He stood and waited, sidestepping behind an advertisement
sign to shield himself a bit from the cold wind. He glanced at his
phone, which showed his route towards him. "Bah! He should have
turned earlier. The man is keeping a client waiting in the cold!
I'll have a firm talk with him when he gets there, just you
wait."
    He was
beginning to shake. The taxi finally came, pulled aside and Scrooge
walked to the door. Before he could get in, the cabbie locked the
doors.
    "What in
God's name?" Scrooge bellowed and rapped the door
handle.
    The
window rolled down slightly and the cabbie turned to him. "Sorry
sir, we've had an unfortunate ride before. I had a switch in my
account and it didn't show up for some reason. I can't give you a
ride, you'll have to find someone else."
    "That's
insane! Open this door at once," Scrooge said and raised his
chin.
    "I'm
sorry sir, it is within my rights to refuse an undesirable client.
Merry Christmas," he said and started the car.
    Scrooge
lost his temper, tapping on the window and demanding the driver to
stop. The taxi left, turning into Ermou, the busiest shopping road
and leaving him in the cold. "Did you see that? The man just left
me here," he told to a couple