Taxi rank cheerleader

When I was younger I had always imagined that the meetings held at the local taxi association headquarters were filled with big men, huffing and puffing smoke through their nostrils. I pictured these men sitting in a roundtable in their finest Sunday outfits, with jugs of beer on one hand and two girls on either side rubbing their pot bellies and laughing insanely at their crass jokes. The huffing and puffing of cigarettes would not stop until they’ve come to a conclusion that they’re upping the taxi fare yet again. The meetings would probably end with some entertainment from one of their groupies and their horrid laughter would be heard outside the doors of their headquarters. Alas my youth and naivety lead me far from the truth. The taxi business is quiet serious and the taxi owners are not the potbellied men with loose women on their arms that I thought they would be. Indeed they do gather twice a month at our local taxi association headquarters to discuss pressing issues and always seek to improve the status of their taxis. Once the meetings are over they go back to their luxurious houses where their wives and kids await them. Pleasing the passengers is one of their main concerns, and they even put their contact details outside their taxis. Should a taxi conductor mistreat one of the passengers or one of their drivers tarnish their image, they are the first ones to know – usually not from the taxi rank manager, but from the loyal commuters who have their numbers on speed dial.

Taxi owners do not frequent the taxi rank, but on certain days they can be seen sitting next to the rank manger, checking on how business is running. Their presence at the taxi rank is an utter delight to those who know them. One can see old ladies interrupting their conversations with the taxi rank manager. Some use this as the time to complement them on their taxis, while others take this opportunity to dish out dirt on the taxi drivers and more especially the conductors  – but hey feedback is feedback after all that is what they are there for. The taxi owners are delighted when they get to communicate with the commuters and they genuinely take their concerns to heart. Another character of the taxi family who is not afraid to intrude on these discussions is our very own taxi rank cheerleader.

Now, some people have the ability to make their presence felt without using words. Be it by their hair and make-up or even by their perfume. These beauty enhancers have become a part of an identity that they have created for themselves – the Taxi Queen with her gorgeous long shiny weave and Bhut’ Madlisa with his signature black leather pants. Amongst these characters and many others, one also finds the taxi rank cheerleader. She is definitely involved with one of the taxi drivers, but that does not hinder her from sometimes flirting with some of the other drivers an even their conductors.

She graces the taxi rank with her small handbag but above it all her huge rather disturbing grin on her face. She is petit and always wears jeans that her small frame. She is seen at the taxi rank more especially on weekends but hardly during the week. Nobody really seems to know whether she works or not but when it is the weekend you are guaranteed to hear her giggle to her heart’s content from dawn till the evening. She knows all the taxi drivers and their loyal conductors by name. When her boo is not at the taxi rank she then finds other ways to keep herself and the others entertained. She likes teasing the other drivers and values the attention she gets from them. She laughs at all of their jokes even when they are insulting her to her face. It is also no surprise that she is not in good terms with the taxi rank café mama along with her assistants – as she likes poking her noise and interferes when they try to get money from the conductors.

When it starts to get dark, she takes that small handbag of hers and firmly places it on the front seat of her man’s taxi. This then acts a sign to any Taxi Queens not only that the seat is taken but she is here today – they must back off from him. But she is not as gullible as one may think. She may entertain the taxi drivers, but she has her eye on the bigger price. She may have started off by dating a conductor and now a driver but she is always aiming high. The price that lingers in her eyes is to be on the lap of one the taxi owners. But all good things come to those who wait, and like a clever strategist, she too will wait.