While at work, Keith gets a series of urgent text messages from his wife, Lynn. He discovers that her cab driver has kicked her and their son out of the cab due to the baby’s crying. He rushes to get to them, but his anger runs deep. Determined to teach the driver a lesson, he plans his revenge.
I work as a tow truck driver, and sometimes this means that my wife, Lynn, has to use a cab to get around if I’m at work. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best option we’ve got until we can save up for our second vehicle.
A man sitting in a truck | Source: Midjourney
Everything was fine until my phone blew up the other day with frantic texts from my wife, who had taken our son, Jimmy, for his check-up at the pediatrician.
Lynn tried calling me twice, but I was unable to speak at the time. I texted her, wanting her to message me instead.
A man holding a phone | Source: Unsplash
“You okay, Keith?” my friend, Ben, asked as we waited to drive off.
“Lynn’s tried calling, but you know how we’re not supposed to take calls. I just want her to let me know that everything is okay. Jimmy’s check-up was this morning.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. The little guy, too,” Ben said.
A sleeping baby | Source: Pexels
I nodded.
Lynn probably wanted to tell me how Jimmy was meeting all his milestones and that the doctor was impressed with him.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
A woman holding a baby | Source: Unsplash
Instead, my phone started to go off with her text messages, leaving me furious and worried.
Lynn: The cab driver kicked us out because Jimmy was crying.
Keith: What?
A person texting | Source: Pexels
Lynn: We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. We’re in the rain. I don’t know where to go or what to do.
Lynn: Jimmy is coughing. He’s wet. The diaper bag is wet. Come get us.
“What the hell?” I said out loud.
Notifications on a phone | Source: Midjourney
“What happened?” Ben asked again.
“Lynn’s cab driver made them get out of the car because Jimmy was crying. She’s stuck in the rain, and she doesn’t know what to do.”
“Take my keys,” Ben said. “It’s a short run to the impound lot. Go get my van and get to your family. I’ll finish up with this scene and meet you somewhere later.”
Keys on a dashboard | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know how to thank you,” I said, taking his keys. I picked up my phone to text Lynn before rushing out into the rain.
Keith: Drop me the pin. I’m coming.
A person using Google maps | Source: Pexels
I ran to the impound lot where Ben’s truck was waiting. I got in and was ready to get to my wife and son.
I found them waiting in a narrow alley, trying to shelter themselves from the rain.
“Come on,” I said, taking Jimmy from Lynn and leading them to the truck.
An alley in between buildings | Source: Pexels
“Whose truck is this?” Lynn asked, trying to warm Jimmy up in my jacket.
“Ben’s,” I said. “He’s covering for me. Now, tell me. Did you get a good look at this man?”
“Honey, I know him. Well, not really. But I know his wife; we have the same fitness classes at the gym.”
Women at a fitness class | Source: Unsplash
“Good,” I replied, certain that the vein in my forehead was going to pop soon. When I was driving, I had expected the worst. But actually seeing my wife and baby stranded in such terrible weather made my blood boil.
“I’m going to teach him a lesson tomorrow,” I said. “Are you okay?”
Lynn smiled at me sadly and nodded.
A woman with wet hair | Source: Pexels
“I don’t care about myself, we just need to get Jimmy home and into a hot bath.”
I drove home in a fury, keeping the heater on high, trying to prevent my son from getting sick.
We hurried home, where I bathed Jimmy in the tub while Lynn got into a hot shower at the same time.
A person bathing a baby | Source: Pexels
“His name is Kiran,” Lynn said, drying her hair with a towel. “They live two streets away from us. His wife, Rose, has given me a ride home once or twice, and we drove past their house.”
I clenched my fists, trying to control my anger.
“Come on, let’s go make some soup,” I said, carrying Jimmy out of our bedroom where I had just changed him.
A smiling man | Source: Pexels
In the kitchen, I watched as my wife kept a tight hold on our son. Every time he made a sound, she checked him.
“Do you think we should take him to a doctor?” she asked.
“No, let’s just wait until the morning,” I said, trying to be rational. “But let’s also keep an eye on him and if he develops a fever.”
A woman holding a baby | Source: Pexels
When Jimmy was asleep and Lynn was eating her soup under a blanket, I called two of my friends who were also drivers.
“We’ll do whatever you want, Keith,” Alan said. “You just don’t mess with a man’s family like that. And just because the baby was crying? No!”
A pot of soup | Source: Midjourney
“Yeah,” Matthew agreed, his TV blaring in the background. “You just tell me what you need from me; I have the morning free tomorrow.”
Together, we devised a plan for retribution.
A man talking on the phone with the TV on | Source: Midjourney
The next day, I had breakfast with Lynn and Jimmy. Both of them were healthy without any sniffles, despite being in the rain.
“Please,” Lynn said, as I grabbed Ben’s keys. “I know you’re frustrated by the situation, but don’t do anything that you’ll regret.”
A breakfast plate | Source: Pexels
“I’ll do what I think is right,” I said.
I kissed her and Jimmy and left.
I drove to Kiran’s street and waited for him to leave. Luckily, it wasn’t long before his cab pulled out and he was on the road. He made his way to a local coffee shop, yawning as he walked in.
A man kissing his wife goodbye | Source: Unsplash
That was our chance.
“This is it,” Alan said, as he jumped out of his cab.
I hooked Kiran’s car onto Ben’s tow truck and moved it around the corner. Then, I rushed back to my parking spot. I attached Alan’s car, an identical yellow cab to Kiran’s, to Ben’s tow truck.
A person driving | Source: Pexels
Calling Ben, I gave him the heads up that I was using his truck to teach Kiran a lesson.
“Do what you need to do, mate,” Ben said. “I’ll meet you after and we can switch trucks again. Teach this man a lesson that he won’t forget.”
Matthew, already in position, watched Kiran from across the street.
The exterior of a coffee shop | Source: Pexels
“As he exits the coffee shop, I’m going to drive off,” I said to Matthew on the phone. “You get ready to offer him a ride.”
Driving away, I heard Matthew calling out to Kiran, who looked flustered and almost dropped his coffee.
“Follow that tow truck!” he exclaimed.
A person holding a takeaway coffee cup | Source: Unsplash
Little did he know that his car was actually safely parked around the corner. Alan was with me, sitting up front and enjoying the ride.
“Where are you driving to?” Alan asked me.
“To the industrial area,” I said, thinking about the mill that was almost at the outskirts of town. There was a sad motel nearby; if anything, Kiran could use their phone.
An industrial area | Source: Unsplash
After driving about 30 miles, I slowed the car.
“What the hell is this?” Kiran demanded when I stopped the truck, Alan and I getting out of it. “Where’s my car?”
“Remember the woman and baby you left in the rain?” I growled.
An angry man | Source: Midjourney
His eyes widened as realization dawned.
“Obviously, now you can see that I didn’t tow your cab away. Your cab is safely parked around the corner from where you left it. But you? You’re going to get a taste of what you put my family through.”
Matthew interrupted, handing Kiran a slip of paper.
“Here’s your fare for having me follow. $323, pay up,” he said.
A parked cab | Source: Unsplash
“I don’t have that kind of money on me,” Kiran said.
“Not our problem. I’m sure you’ll find a way to deliver it,” Alan said, leaning against the tow truck. “Enjoy your walk back.”
I turned my back on Kiran and unhooked Alan’s cab so that he could drive off.
“You better start walking, Kiran,” I said.
A man walking | Source: Pexels
We left Kiran stranded. He had to find a way to make it back, just as he had left Lynn and Jimmy to fend for themselves.
I didn’t care how he figured it out.
When I got home at the end of the day, Lynn was waiting for me, Jimmy cooing in her arms.
“What did you do?” she asked, concern etched on her face.
“Nothing bad,” I said. “But I taught him a lesson. He won’t do that to anyone else.”
My wife smiled and pulled me into an embrace.
A couple embracing | Source: Pexels
What would you have done?
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