Chronicle of Cabbie Talk

Another traffic jam, another chat with the cabbie. I should make a
series out of this. They said in a movie somewhere that cab drivers are
good judge of characters, second only to bartender. They’ve probably
met thousands of different people behind their wheel. Anyway, luckily
this time the driver only had a bearable mild body odor. Wouldn’t it be
even more miserable trapped in the traffic jam with a stench that would
make you nauseating all the way?

The bloke is a proud 37 years old with a rather abrasive manner. Some
motorcycle run passes him in a way he didn’t approve of, and suddenly
some animal and bodily expletive blurted out like machine gun.
Interesting character this chap. He admitted that he’s pretty naughty
when he was a boy, raised by a strictly discipline policeman father.
With his thick Batak accent, he told me about how he used to run away
from home, and stop short of saying that his father abused him as a
child with plenty of physical punishment for his misdemeanor. It goes
to show that rigid discipline and severe grueling act won’t always
brings the good out of someone.

He’s now a father of two and trying so hard to straightened his
behavior. Even though it’s hard when it comes down to women, he
admitted. Especially living in five days away from home each week, a
man needed some sort of lechery or ‘channeling’ he flagrantly said. I
wanted to ask whether the fact that his father often beat him as a
child, would he then pass it onto his sons or did it make some sort of
repercussions in his behavioral pattern in the long run. But I didn’t
want to offend him with such a sensitive question. He said that once out of fury, his father put him in the district
prison after wrecking his car. I was simply astonished when I hear that.

Talking with the man made me think about the last episode of Oprah. The
main theme was crime and violence. I remember one respondent remarked
about the defining moments in our life. How we respond to that
situation will dictate the course of our life. In these case she chose
the wrong action and facing a life sentence as the result. Oprah also
share the
story about her defining moment was when her mother grew so tired of
her antics and trying to ‘leave’ her in a county prison. Luckily the
prison was full and Oprah realized that if she didn’t change her
manners she would really end up behind bars. She can’t imagine what
would have happened if the prison were not full at the time, what with
all the rape, rage, and violence fostered in the US penal system. She
is now one of the richest entertainers in the world though.

Speaking of defining moments in our life made my mind wander to several
flashbacks. Surely you have some on your mind too. Mine would be when I
suddenly decided to quit the Akabri (Indonesian Military Akademi) and
went to the University instead. My father was speechless for more than
one minute when I told him about it by phone. I still maintain that I
made the right decision, yet sometimes I do wonder, what would it be
like if I am still there. Several friends (who still in the armed
forces) applaud my decision though, because apparently life as an army
man is dreadfully arduous both physique and economy. However, there’s a
solemn proud ness and dignity in serving your country as a soldier.
Even though in recent days, our society look upon them with mixed
feelings, some are admittedly demeaning, yet they are still regarded
highly in my book.

It’s not all about big decisions and defining moments, though. You
might remember in Vanilla Sky, how little things in life can be a
certain turning point for us. I found myself very intrigued by the
strange look in Tom Cruise’s face when he weighs his decision whether
to join Cameron Diaz’s car or not. Seems very simple. Which cab to
take? Which turn to make? Which way to go? All small choices can lead
to a probable big occurrence for us. I never thought that helping a
girl with her assignment in the end lead her to become my wife. Or some
random project I did in college will end up getting me hired for the
first time and made me wind up working in the field I do now. We’ll
never know which one, and that’s where lies all the excitement.