The Taxi Driver

Dear Friends,

Good to see you again. I trust you are doing well. I’ve got a story that was sent to me by a friend on Whatsapp.

Sadly, the story portrays reality, people measure progress and success with that of their friends, classmates, and relatives even with the limited information they have about them.

I think it’s worth a read.

Love ❤️ ,

Oke Iroegbu

The Taxi Driver

Sani and Halima studied accounting at the university. They were both classmates and after five years of studying hard, they both graduated. After graduation, fate took them through different paths of life.

5 years later, Halima after much frustration in securing a job, ended up as a secretary in a building firm earning about 130 dollars monthly. Meanwhile, Sani on the other hand, couldn’t secure a job and ended up a taxi driver, he makes about 15 dollars daily and if he works for only 20 days a month, he makes close to 265 dollars that month.

One evening, Halima closed from work and was at the bus stop waiting for a taxi when Sani stopped, she hopped in when she discovered the taxi was going her way but little did she know it was Sani, all through the journey, she was lost in her phone.

She reached her bus stop and just when she was about to pay she took a look at the driver and their eyes met, wow! They were both happy.

“Is this you?” they both asked themselves simultaneously as if they planned it. Halima gave him money but Sani insisted she keeps it. He was happy to see her and for old time’s sake, he left the money for her even when she insisted that she wanted to pay. They both exchanged contact and left.

Well, Halima went home that night and was lost in thought. Not as if Sani was looking bad but Sani driving a taxi? She couldn’t wrap her head around it. She pitied him. If Sani had allowed her she would have paid him and beg him to keep the change.

Little did she know that Sani has another taxi running for him, he is a landowner and he is planning on developing it soon. But because he was driving a taxi, she felt sorry for him.

On the other hand, Sani felt sorry for himself too. Before he slept that night, he remembered Halima, how neatly she dressed and nice she smells, “She must be earning over 800 dollars per month” he said to himself. He felt ashamed, considered himself a failure and he felt she was way ahead of him financially and otherwise. Little did he know that, If Halima removes her transportation and feeding allowance from her monthly salary, it will take her at least 3 months to earn what he earns monthly.

I think the moral is to stay focused on our endeavors. Life’s not a competition. We should stop comparing ourselves to others and live a life of contentment and happiness.