The Journey Has Begun

We awoke this morning at 3:30 relaxed and excited for our trip, but that didn't last long. At 4:55, when our taxi to the airport was to arrive, there was no taxi to be found. My relaxed mood started to wane, but Joy was a rock and reminded me that all was well. Ten minutes later we got a call that our taxi would be there by 5:15. But wait, the fun is just beginning. Our good man Clarence arrived and loaded our bags, and we were off ... kinda. Clarence then informed us that we would be making one other stop to pick up another package. That relaxed mood I spoke of earlier, it was disappearing faster than a 401K. Things didn't get any better as Clarence hit every red light on Patterson Ave as we headed down to the bottom. However, to Clarence's credit, he realized the tension level in the car was rising and he tried to help. First, he ran a red light ( at this point, I wasn't planning on offering him legal representation if he got pulled), and then he began telling bad jokes. The second attempt truly backfired because neither Joy or I found the jokes funny, and Clarence became offended that we didn't view him as the second coming of Henny Youngman. We finally arrived in the Bottom, but the passenger was no where to be found. We then calmly explained to Clarence (read in the sarcasm) that we just couldn't wait any longer and we would have to leave the delinquent fare. As we pulled away, you guessed it, our uneasy rider appeared, and we were off, literally at light speed. Clarence, ever wanting to make good and drive his minivan for NASCAR took off like he was heading for the checkered flag at Daytona. That is until he hit a lane divider and almost flipped the minivan. Neither Joy or I were volunteering for blood pressure tests at this point. However, all ended well. The taxi arrived at the airport and we made our flight with time to spare. We are in the Chicago airport now, and we are relaxed and excited again. I don't know if we will have rickshaw ride in China, but I doubt it will compare to our simple trip to airport in Richmond.