The Other Side of Midnight by Mike Heffernan Read Free Book Online

“That’s it for me—I’m gone.”
    If I told some of the younger drivers the stories I’m after telling over the years they wouldn’t believe a word of it.
    It used to be fun and enjoyable to drive a cab. Maybe that hasn’t changed for the younger guys out on the road. Maybe I’m just out of the loop where I’m older. Michael O’Brien started down there with us, and he would tell you the same thing. He had his hair down over his back, too—real long hair—and gold on every finger and around his neck. Remember that show that used to be on television with the fast car that could talk, Knight Rider ? That’s what we used to call each other, “The Knight Riders.” If you worked nights, that’s what you were called. That atmosphere is gone. As far as I’m concerned, taxiing is only good for a nineteen or twenty-year-old.
    Concrete Jungle
    Michael, driving and dispatching for thirty-six years
    I used to love for a Friday night to come. That was your money night. Saturday night was the same way. But you didn’t have the cluster on George Street like you do now. We’d go and park at the Bella Vista. We’d go park at the Steamer. We’d go park at the Traveler’s Inn. The clubs were spread out. You only had so many taxis this end of town, and only so many taxis that end of town.
    It’s like a concrete jungle down there now. Everybody is let out at one time and, you know yourself, you got thousands of people on George Street between two and four in the morning. The more decks they put on, the more buildings they open up, the worse it gets. Ten years ago, Shamrock City was a jewellery store. Now it’s a bar. All that along there on Water Street, the Post Office, what is it now? Dooley’s. The list goes on and on. Years ago, they had the El Tico and a couple little small bars. Mostly there were department stores and restaurants. In around the corner, you had Gosse’s. What could Gosse’s hold? Probably twenty people. Sterling’s was the same way. If you had ten people in there she was full. Some of the bars down there now can hold 1,000 people, I’m sure.
    The only thing you had to contend with was a guy not paying you, or something like that. If you went to his house the next day, he gave you your $20. There are guys in this town that had hard names when I was taxiing. I know they don’t mind me mentioning them: the Drukens, the O’Driscolls, the Mahers, the Leonards. If they didn’t have any money or were that drunk they didn’t know they were even in the cab you’d just bring them up to their door and they’d go on in. The next day, you’d get the money off them at their house, or you might see them on the street somewhere.
    I never had a problem where I had to call the police. I was never assaulted. I never had any problems like that. If you went over to Gosse’s or the Queen’s Tavern, or any of the older clubs, and got a guy who you figured was too drunk you’d just leave him there with the bartender. But nine chances out of ten you were after driving him home within the last week, and you knew where he lived. Now his wife might not be very happy about it. I brought a guy up from Gosse’s to Holloway Street. He had two bottles of rum with him. I opened the door, but she wouldn’t let him in. She broke the two bottles of rum right there on the sidewalk. She wouldn’t let him in, and he was no good to me. I ended up taking him back downtown and having the Constabulary look after him.
    Anyone you interview in this city, anyone at all, will tell you it’d be worth it to sit on the roof of City Hall and look out and see what goes on Friday and Saturday night. If I’m coming up and I got you and your wife in the car and there’s three or four guys who wants to get in with you, they’re hauling open the doors, they’re jumping up on the bonnet,