An Encounter – First Impression

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Before I conclude about a person’s character or attitude, I am that person who likes to observe for a while. Nevertheless, there are some people who give you a full picture of themselves in the short period you have gotten to know them. A typical example is a driver I met yesterday. Let me fill you in!

Yesterday after a meeting, I requested a ride to another side of town for another meeting. The driver finally arrives, a handsome fair man in his red shirt. Immediately I got inside the car, he tells me

“I’m no longer using this car on the app. I am yet to update it”.

I asked him how will continue with the trip if he can’t access the app and he replied “let’s go”.

I went ahead to show him the price on my phone to be sure that was the amount I was paying.

He exclaimed, “this isn’t enough for the journey! Do you have a discount?”
I told him this was the charge shown and I didn’t have a discount. This man was still insisting I have a discount and I explained to him that the car I picked earlier in the morning had a discount but his trio didn’t.

Imagine what happened next? He still went ahead insisting the fare should go up. I ignored him and he kept quiet and drove.

Thankfully, there wasn’t as much traffic on the road as I expected. I decided to add the change to the cost of the ride. We get to our destination and this dude packs at the wrong place. Interestingly, he was packed at the entrance of a police station. He had the guts you know! Lol

A man at the checkpoint of the road shouted at the driver to park well. Can you imagine what happened next?

This driver shouted so hard telling the man he wasn’t parking meanwhile it was obvious he had parked. The other man, with lots of grey hair on his head, started getting furious at the driver and lo, the exchange of words went on and on. Pedestrians stood to watch while sellers craned their necks to see what was happening. And there was me sitting at the back waiting for this driver to take his money but no, he was enjoying his confrontation with this man old enough to be his uncle.

I thought I had seen it all! This driver rushed out to fight the man when he threatened to hit him with the stick he was holding. The shouts from people, “stop! Stop! Stop!” couldn’t deter any of these two men to stop. 

I think the driver realised he hadn’t taken his money so he quickly rushed back inside, grabbed his phone and in a few seconds tells me the fare. It was the same as what I had on my phone when I requested earlier. Wait! Wasn’t this the same driver who told me he had changed the car from the app?

I wasn’t ready to confront him either so I gave him the money. I had planned to let him keep the change, only for him to tell me “I don’t have change!”

Well, I wasn’t bothered about the change but his tone was annoying.

I watched this driver open the door to continue where he had started, his quarrel with the man.

I quietly got down and headed to my destination.

I have often heard that, when you want to know the true character of a person, then you create a situation or scenario to test the person. Well, I am not the type who will deliberately go the extent of trying to make someone angry or loose his/her patience just to see a reaction. But with this driver, the impression I have about him now might forever stay in my head. If I happen tpo see him again, the first three descriptions that will come in my mind are: liar, rude and quarrelsome.

Do you think your character or attitude has a good and lasting impression on others?

Photocredit: pexels

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