Ding

 

       Nobody wants to get dinged, but there are some people who seem to wait for it, though not physically. Rideshare drivers are among them—they love it when their app dings to notify them of a ride.

        One evening, he received such a "loving" ding. He wouldn’t know the destination until he picked up the rider, but he knew exactly where the pickup was. He wasn't a full-time professional driver; he did it as a part-time job. He always felt butterflies swirling in his stomach whenever he got such a ding because he didn’t know who the rider was or where the ride would go. It was always thrilling and suspenseful until he picked up the person and learned the destination. When he saw that the pickup was at a hotel, he felt a little more relaxed. It seemed like it would be a decent ride. He kept his hopes high and drove to the pickup spot as the app directed. 

         It was a big, upscale hotel in town, and he slowly pulled inside, heading toward the lobby porch. Typically, these types of rides were really good because they either went to the airport or involved long trips. Plus, they usually came with a lot of luggage. He knew he’d need to help load the luggage, but the good thing was that he often received tips for doing extra work. 

          As he pulled into the hotel’s front pickup area, he spotted two young people waving their hands. They seemed to recognize the ride. However, they weren’t carrying any large luggage—just small carry-ons. He figured the ride would still be to the airport, since carry-ons were typically the type of luggage one would bring to an airport. Airport rides were always a good bet because the airports were located outside the city, guaranteeing a long ride and the potential for a decent tip.

          The young people climbed into the car, and he accepted the ride in the app. As he had hoped, the destination showed "airport." He was very happy. He took the highway toward the airport, and the two passengers in the back kept talking. They spoke loudly and excitedly, making it impossible for him to ignore their conversation. It sounded like they were coming back from a technology conference. Their discussion was filled with hi-tech topics, and he noticed they were from two different reputed academic research institutions. Their talks were so interesting and enthralling. 

         It had already been twenty minutes since he picked them up, and he still had about half the distance to go before reaching the destination, so he continued listening to their conversation.

      One of them suddenly turned to him and asked, “Hello, where are we going?”

        “To the airport. We’ll be there in about 20 minutes,” he replied.

       “Which airport?” the other guy asked.

        “International. That’s what the app shows as the destination,” he answered politely.

         The second guy then added, “He’s right. International is where I wanted to go. Any problem?”

        The first guy, now sounding concerned, said, “I thought we were going to the domestic airport.” 

        After that, the two of them started nearly arguing about the airport mix-up. It became clear they didn’t know each other at all. They had just met outside the conference and had been chatting together in the hotel lobby about the event. When one of them mentioned heading to the airport, the other assumed they were both going to the same airport. They had never asked which airport; they were too wrapped up in their conversation. The two airports were 30 minutes apart and located at different ends of town.

       The driver realized there was nothing more he could do, so he decided to drop one passenger off at the international airport and the other at the domestic airport. After the mix-up and drop-off logistics were sorted out, the car fell silent. The rest of the ride was quiet, with no one speaking, and no more enlightening moments. He said to himself, “What a smart ding.”