The Taximan’s Story By: Catherine Lim STORY
Very good,Madam.Sure,will take you there in plenty good time for your meeting,Madam.This way better,less trac,less car jams.Half hour should make it,Madam,so not to worry w orry..
hat is it you say,Madam!"es,yes,ha,ha,been ta#iman for twenty years now,Madam.$ong time ago,Singapore not like this%so crowded so busy.$ast time more peaceful,not so much ta#imen,or so much cars and buses.
"es,Madam,can make a li&ing.So so.hat to do.Must work hard if wants to success in Singapore.'eople like us,no education,no capital for business,we must sweat to earn money for wife and children.
"es.Madam,(ui es.Madam,(uite te big family%eight children,si# sons,two daughters.) daughters.)igfamily*Ha* igfamily*Ha*ha*+o ha*+o good,Madam.n those days,where got -amily 'lanning in Singapore!'eople born many,many children,e&ery year,one childs.s no good at all.Today is much better.Two children,three children,enough,stop.ur children ,enough,stop.ur go&erment say stop. $ucky for me,all my children big now.now.-our our of my sons working%o working%one ne a businessman,two businessman ,two clerks,one a teacher in 'rimary school,one in +ational Ser&ice,one still schooling,in Secondary Two.My eldest daughter,she is twenty plus,stay at home,help the mother.+o,not mother.+o,not married yet%&ery shy,and her health not so good,but a good,obedient girl.My other girl%h,Madam*&ery girl%h,Madam*&ery hard for father when daughter is no good and go against her parents.Very sad,like punishment from /od Today,young people not like us when we are young.e obey.ur parents say don0t do this,we ne&er do.therwise,the cane.My father cane me, was big enough to be married,and still,got caning.My father he was &ery strict,and that is good thing for parents to be strict.f not,young boys and girls become &ery useless.1o not want to study,but run away,and go to night clubsand take drugs and make lo&e."ouagreewith me.Madam! Today,young T oday,young people they are are &ery trouble trouble to theirparents.Madam,y theirparents.Madam,you ou see this young young people o&er there,outside the co2ee3house!See what mean,Madam!Th mean,Madam!They ey are only schoolboys and
schoolgirls,but they act like big shots,spending money,smoking,waering latest fashion,and making lo&e.4h Madam, know, know*4s ta#iman, know them and their habits.Madam,you are a teacher,you say!"ou know or not that young schoolgirls,5fteen,si#teen years old,they go to school in the morning in their uniforms and then after school,they don0t go home,they ha&e clothes in their schoolbag,and they go to public la&atory or hotel and change into these clothes,and they put make3up on their face.Their parents ne&er know.They tell their Mum got school meeting,got sports and games,this,that,but they really come out and play the fool.4h,Madam, see yuo surprise,but know, know all their tricks. take them about in my ta#i.They usual is wait in bowling alley or co2ee house or hotel,and they walk up,and friend,friend,the 6uropean and 4merican tourists,and this is how they make fun and also e#tramoney.Madam,you belie&e or not when tell you how much money they got! say*$ast night,Madam,this young girl,&ery pretty and made3up,and wear se#y dress,she told me take her to rchid Mansions%this place famous,Madam,fourth 7oor 7at%and she open her purse to pay me,and say*all 4merican notes%ten dollar notes all,and she pull one out and say keep change*as she has no timealready.Madam, tell you this,e&ery month, got more money from these young girls and their 4merican and 6uropean boyfriends in my ta#i,more than get from other people who bargain and say don0t want go by meter and wait e&en for ten centschange.'hui**Some of them really make me mad.)ut these young girls and their boyfriends don0t bargain,they just pay,pay,and they make lo&e in ta#i so much they don0t know if you go round and round and charge them by meter* tell you,Madam,some of them don0t care how much they spend on ta#i.t is like this8after 9p.m. ta#i fare double,and prefer working this time,because naturally,much more money. go and wait outside 6lroy Hotel or Tung :ourt or rchid Mansions,and such enough,Madam,will ha&e plenty business.$astSaturday,Madam,no joking,on one day alone make nearly one hundred and 5fty dollars*Some of it for ser&ices.Some of tourists don0t know where,so tell them and take them there,and that0s e#tra money.4h Madam,if tell you all,no end to thestory.)ut will tell you this,Madam.f you ha&e young daughter and she say Mummy got meeting today in school and will not come home,you must not say,"es,yes,but you must go and ask her where and why and who,and you 5ndout.Today young people not to trust,like young people in many yearsago.h,Madam, tell you because myself ha&e a daughter%oh,Madam,a daughter lo&e &ery much,and she is so good and study hard.4nd see her report cards and her teacher write0/ood work0and ;6#cellent0so on,so on.h,Madam,she my fa&ourite child,and ask her what she want to be after left school,and she says go to
up,and &ery bold in her beha&iour,and this is not like my daughter at all.Then they go inside the co2ee3house,and my heart is &ery,&ery%how you describe it,Madam,My heart is &ery ;susah hati0and say to myself, will watch that $ay :hoo and see her monkey tricks.The &ery ne#t day she is there again stop my ta#i,Madam,and am so angry. rush up to this wicked daughter and catch her by the shoulders and neck,and slap her and she scream,but don0tcare.Then drag her to my ta#i and dri&e all the way home,and at home thrash the stupid food and beat her and slap her till like hell.My wife and some neighbours they pull me away,and think if they not pull me away, sure to kill that girl. lock her up in her room for three days,and ashamed to tell her teacher,so just tell the teacher that $ay :hoo is sick,so please to e#cuse her.h,Madam,how you feel in my place!Make herself so cheap,when her father dri&e ta#i all day to sa&e money for her hat,Madam!h,so sorry,Madam,cannot wait for you to 5nish your meeting.Mustgo o2,please to e#cuse me.n a hurry,Madam.Must go o2 to Hotel 6lroy% there plenty people to pick up.So &ery sorry,Madam,and thank you &ery much.
REFLECTION
It is a story playing with satiric humor. It is very entertaining and yet disheartening. It makes the reader l ike me! reali"e the grave reality o# li#e and how ironic it gets sometimes. Indeed li#e is like a $oker. It gives you what you least wanted. The taxi man ver%ally expressed his hate on the developing %ad ha%its o# the youth. &e repeatedly critici"ed them or even mocked them. 'nd then despite that he was awarded with one daughter doing the same (%ad) %ehaviors. Being a parent is the hardest role a person can have. It’s a *+,- duty. o time outs or holiday %reaks. The responsi%ility is li#etime #rom the point o# conception till the end. Like all #athers the Taxi man is a good #ather. &e works nonstop to provide #or his #amily needs especially #or their education. &e gra%s every opportunity to earn he even cater to those children that he detest. 'side #rom that /r. Taxi man is a very good o%server man. &e sees everything. &e notices the deterioration o# Singapore the trou%le with the youth and their %ehaviours. &e knows what drives the people what is in #or the pu%lic and what is not. &e does not keep those o%servations %ut voice them out to those he thinks could act on it. &is passenger at the moment was a teacher. 0emem%er that teachers and parents are those who have primary responsi%ility #or the discipline o# the students. They should work hand and hand to #orm a %etter person.
1se iron hand i# needed %ut gentle cradle is always invited. Children go astray without the proper attention o# guardians especially on the adolescent stage o# their li#e. 2outh tend to love adventure and experiment most o# the time. They like thrills and excitement. It is not %ad to %e adventurous. 3eople $ust need to %e care#ul with whatever they enter into. Because most o# the time they get lost in the so called (thrill o# the moment). This %ecomes addiction. 's a student I think it is a must #or us to heed our parent’s,guardian’s advice. They may not %e per#ect %ut they have %een there in our situation already thus they have that wisdom that may help us in every decision we make. Besides as parents they will usually want the %est #or us. 4riends make li#e %etter or a living hell depending on the in#luence they give us. 5e must choose those we associate ourselves. 0emem%er the saying (Tell me who your #riends are and I tell you who you are). 6xperiences are the %est teacher. Lai Choo had %een mistaken. &is #ather might have %een harsh. But still that anger was out o# love #or his daughter teaching her that it is never right to lie to your parents and that her %ehavior is not right. 4or those students like Lai Choo it is never too late to change and %e %etter. 5hen you’re wrong accept your mistakes learn #rom it and move on. That’s how simple it is. 7on’t let it weigh you down. 2ou have to always get %ack up. In li#e you have to laugh and go with the #low with /r. 8oker. Because that’s li#e. 9 5here there is li#e there is hope 9 5here there is od there is Li#e. 2ours Truly Bini%ining/agsasaka
