Driver

Part 12

The next morning Idyn was waiting outside her apartment block as usual when Taki appeared.

“Morning” he said turning his head to look at her as she got in the car. He was wary of her mood but he hoped that after she had had time to consider it she would understand why he had said no.

But Taki wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

Idyn sighed and turned back around and got them on the road.

“How do you feel?” he said.

She didn’t respond.

Looking in the rear view mirror Idyn saw that her eyes were trained out the window.

“Taki I’m sorry if I upset you last night. That wasn’t my intention.”

Still no response.

“Taki…” he said.

She continued to ignore him.

Driver

Part 11

“How do you feel about trying some food?” he said after a pause.

“I don’t know” she said.

“Give it a go” he said “just something light. You’ll feel better with food in your stomach”

“Okay” she said “I’ll try.”

He smiled and got up to order some toast and jam.

When the food came Taki managed to eat some of it and after a second cup of tea Idyn thought she was okay to go home. When he suggested it, she did not argue. He bought another bottle of water for her to take with her and they walked back to the car. She could walk unaided now but Idyn stayed close.

“Don’t yell at me” he said when they reached his car “but I’m going to open the door for you.”

Driver

Part 10

However when Taki spoke again it was on a different topic. Her eyes focused on her hands on the table she said “as it seems to be a night of confessions I might as well answer your question now.”

Idyn frowned not understanding what she was referring to.

She looked up and said “why I don’t like being driven.”

“You don’t have to tell me” he said again sensing again that this disclosure would be painful for her.

“It’s fine” she said her gaze dropping away “well it’s not but maybe it’ll help. Who knows?”

She stopped speaking for a minute and Idyn didn’t prompt her. 

Driver

Part 9

Idyn took Taki to an all night that café taxi drivers used and helped her inside. Some of his drivers who had late jobs would stop off there too. He had done so himself when he had still been on the road so he knew the cafe staff were used to people coming in in all states late at night. As expected they didn’t look twice when Idyn helped Taki into a booth. He then approached the counter and ordered a bottle of water, a cup of black tea for her and a cappuccino for himself.

Walking back to the table with the bottle of water he sat it in front of Taki and said “try sipping that. Just don’t rush it.”

Taki tried to open the bottle but couldn’t manage it. Without a word, Idyn took it off her and gave it back minus the lid. “Thanks” she muttered.

“No problem” he said.

For a while he just let her rehydrate. She sipped the water and when the tea came she drank a little of that too.

“I need to use the bathroom” she said.

“Just through there” he said pointing past her. “You need help?”

Taki shook her head. “I’ll be fine thanks.”

Idyn watched her struggle to her feet. She was a little unsteady but she made it into the bathroom. If she didn’t appear again in five minutes he would go looking for her.

Driver

Part 8

For what seemed like hours Idyn held Taki while she vomited. In between retching she cried and apologised. “I’m sorry” she sobbed.

“Forget about it” he said over and over again but it had little effect as she just kept apologising. When it seemed that she had finally stopped being sick Idyn picked her up and carried her back to the car. Opening the back door he sat her down on the seat with her legs hanging out and her feet on the gutter. He crouched down in front of her “did he hurt you” he said again.

She shook her head “no. He wanted my purse. I wouldn’t give it to him.”

“Not a smart decision” he said.

That caused her to cry again.

“Sorry” he said.

Driver

Part 7

An hour later when Taki still hadn’t appeared Idyn was becoming irritated. Yes he was at her disposal but this was just rude. Finally at a quarter to twelve she texted to say she was coming out.

However ten minutes later Idyn was still waiting and he had had enough. Client or no client, her behaviour was intolerable. Either she was going to leave with him now or she would have to call him back. She had kept him waiting for two hours. Getting out of the car he walked towards the front entrance. To get to the door he had to walk across the top of a lane running down beside the hotel and as he did he saw something that made his blood run cold. When he had dropped her off Taki was wearing a white woollen coat. Now as he looked down the lane he saw a dark figure struggling with someone wearing white. Fearful that it was Taki, he called out. “Hey.”

Driver

Part 6

For the next two weeks Idyn drove Taki twice a day, back and forwards from the apartment to the office. Sometimes there were lunches and he would see her in the middle of the day. Sometimes there were dinners and he would drive her at night. Often they would talk and over that time he found out that she was thirty six and single. This news pleased him but the fact that she lived interstate didn’t. He also found out that she was a consultant, contracted at Pacific Steel for a month, working on a specific project. This was how she made her living she said, moving from one short term project to another, from one city to another. It seemed a lonely disjointed life to Idyn and while he wondered why she chose it, he did not ask.

In his turn, when she asked about him he told her. He told her that he too was single and had been a driver for five years. This was true but he didn’t say that for the last three years he had sent his employees out to do the driving while he stayed in the office overseeing the business. 

On one trip home on an evening late in the third week Idyn felt they were at a point where he could ask a question that he had been curious about since that first morning. “Can I ask you something Taki?” he said

“Okay” she said meeting his eyes in the mirror.

“Why don’t you like to be driven?”

She looked away and let her breath out on a sigh “that’s a very long story, too long for this trip” she said. Her tone was flat he noticed and tinged with sadness.

Idyn kept glancing at her but she was looking out the window now and her haunted expression stopped him from asking any further questions. Whatever the story was, he knew it wasn’t good. 

It was only two nights later that something happened that led to him finding out what her secret was. Earlier that evening he had dropped Taki at a hotel where she was having dinner with some work colleagues. She had told him to come back and pick her up at ten but at ten fifteen she texted him to say she would be later but she did not say how long. Already at the venue Idyn had no choice but wait.