Alison Taylor on relationships: The late-night taxi is intrinsic to modern 'romance'
It's the will-I-won't-I in-between-land where reality is suspended
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Your support makes all the difference.It was around 11.30pm and I was in a taxi heading home from an event on a Tuesday night. As I was chatting to the driver, we observed a couple outside falling into each other while having what seemed like a goodbye snog. The driver said, "You should see what people are like in the back of here. As soon as they get in, that's it, they're all over each other." I smiled. A flicker of recognition, perhaps.
He then proceeded to tell me about a music exec-type whom he'd picked up from his home in Notting Hill to take to the Brit awards. At the end of the night, when the driver went to scoop him up from the after-party, the guy emerged with "a blonde". Sure enough, as soon as they got into the car, the heavy petting began. As the journey neared its end, the music exec came up for air and shrieked, "Where are we going?"
"I'm taking you back to your home address, sir. Where I picked you up from." the driver replied. Probably thinking, "Duh! How drunk are you?"
"Oh God, don't take me there!" came the stressed-out reply. They re-routed and went back to the the blonde's place. Presumably to avoid the wife. What a toad, I thought, as we coasted past another couple in a clinch near the Old Street roundabout.
Cabs see a lot of action. In metropolitan areas in particular, the late-night taxi is intrinsic to modern "romance". It's the gateway vehicle – the will-I-won't-I in-between-land where reality is suspended and you enter into an encounter which you both know may only last as long the meter is running, but maybe it's all the more thrilling for that.
A portal to the whole gamut of lust and well-oiled emotion, a lot of bad decisions will have been made behind that glass screen. But I'd also like to think it's been the scene of many a beautiful beginning. We've all lost ourselves (or our minds) at least once when we crossed the threshold. Where did it take you, I wonder?
On the flip side, the taxi can be a useful getaway vehicle. I have a friend who, when a date is not quite going to plan, simply orders the guy an Uber. Quick, generous, classy. How to kill it with kindness, eh?
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