It's been a long, hot day, and late in the evening.
The taxi driver, an old gray haired man in his 60's has been on the street trying his best to earn money for his employer's day fee, boundary they call it, for the taxi rent. The rest shall be his personal earnings.
He parked the car on a street side. Looking around first if it would be safe for him to park on such a corner of the street. It's already eleven thirty in the evening. He would not work anymore. He has to return the car before midnight.
There wasn't anybody around. The night was so quiet and the street empty. If ever someone would come walking, he surely would notice.
He started to count his money. Two hundred, three hundred, he counted till he reached five hundred of the local money. He said to himself, "Fine. I have the money for the taxi's rent." Then, he started to count the remaining money. But before that, he closed his eyes to pray.
"May the Lord's will be mine to have the money sufficient enough for my daughter's college tuition fee."
Suddenly, his prayer was cut.
"Do not shout. Do not be stupid. Just do what I tell you."
He heard a commanding, scary voice whisper to his right ear. He opened his eyes and felt a gun pointed on the right side of his forehead. Two thieves had entered his car without his knowledge.
"Oh, my God! I have forgotten to lock the doors! Lord, help me!"
The man at the back added more warnings.
"It is better for you old man to listen to my father's will. Otherwise, you can be dead."
It was a younger man's voice he heard. He looked at the little mirror of his car and saw him.
"He is just a baby!"
The taxi driver heard himself saying those and felt sorrow in his heart.
"How old are you, young man?"
He dared to ask.
The man beside him frowned and pushed the gun more unto him. He's a man around his fifties. A deceiving, decent looking man, well-dressed in a polo shirt and fairly brown skin. He seemed to be a tall man complemented by his good body structure.
"They don't look like thieves at all! But why this and with the gun?"
Question that he could not dare to ask.
"It is none of your business, old man."
It was the response to his inquiry for the younger man's age.
"Just give me that money you are counting and we will leave you alone."
He looked at his money and without delay, tears started to fall from his eyes.
"I did not stop working the whole day to earn my daughter's tuition fee."
The man seemed to be moved. The gun was distanced a little away from him. While the son at the back just bowed his head. Sadness in his face.
"Well, old man, we all work hard on what we can."
He grabbed the money away. But then saw the driver's blue Casio watch. The old man followed his look to his watch and noted that it was already quarter to midnight.
The man tried to grab the watch from his arm, but he refused and pleaded.
"No! Please don't! This is my daughter's gift for my birthday out of her one year's savings. Please don't! Have mercy!"
The young man at the back told his father not to do so. Obviously touched by the old man's words.
"Leave it father!"
The young thief was about to say more when they suddenly heard a police siren somewhere.
The two men panicked and went out running to their car behind the taxi.
"So they have parked behind me and I did not realize it!"
He looked at the back through his taxi's side mirror and saw them gone. He locked his car's doors and with crossed arms on the wheels he cried hard.
It took him some minutes before he lifted his face and lay his head against his chair's backrest. His mind was blank. His heart felt pain. His body tired. Then he looked at his watch. It gave him a smile. He inhaled deeply and exhaled the pain from inside.
"Thanks God. I am saved and my watch, my baby's watch."
He thought it better to start the car and to leave.
After twenty minutes, he arrived at the Taxi Station's Office. He entered the main gate of the parking station, turned to his designated lot.
"Now, how would I convince the Manager that I am telling the truth after having this second robbery I suffered just this week."
He closed his eyes to think. He was so tired he fell asleep easily.
"Hey Thomas! Wake up!"
The door on the passenger seat side was being knocked by a coworker who just parked his taxi beside his car.
He woke up on a jerk and opened the door. The man did not enter but just bent down to talk to him.
"What happened? So sleepy? Working hard again?"
He gave him a very sad face.
"I was robbed again."
The man was shocked and cursed.
"Really? What kinds of bastards we have these days!"
He looked at the old man with pity on his face.
"Bad luck for me. It is the second one in the week."
"It can happen to anyone, what do you think?"
The man saw something on the passenger's side floor and told him about it before closing the door.
"Let us talk inside the office. Don't forget to pick up your wallet from the floor."
The man left and went straight to the office.
The taxi driver was puzzled.
"What wallet?"
He looked at the floor and saw a wallet.
"This isn't mine."
He opened his little car's drawer in front of the passenger seat where he kept his driver's license and empty wallet left there after he took the money to count them.
He looked down and picked up the wallet from the floor. It was the man's leather wallet. It should be.
It was a good one. There were not any identification cards, nothing but three hundred USA dollars!
His eyes went round like the moon!
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
He was so glad he could not decide if he would rather jump with joy or start shouting he found a wallet with dollars!
"This must really be the thieves' wallet that fell without realizing it. I wonder where these come from, but this money is even more than I can earn for months!"
He closed his eyes, this time with a big smile and a happy heart.
"Thank you God! Thank you! Forgive but I will, of course, keep these for me. I am so grateful I don't know what to say more, but thank you!"
The writer parked his pen as well, feeling happy for his ending.
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