When Marcus picked up a mysterious elderly woman on his last night shift, her wistful request for a long drive through streets full of memories touched his heart. He thought it was just a kind gesture – until a few weeks later when he found himself embroiled in a court battle that would ruin his life.
It was late evening when I decided to end the conversation. My eyes were heavy, and thoughts of Sarah and the kids grated on my heart.
They always asked why I was working so late and I never had a good answer other than ‘bills don’t pay themselves’.
I switched off the taxi’s ready status and was about to put the car in drive mode when the phone rang. One last request for a ride.
‘Not today,’ I muttered, about to decline. But something made me stop.
The address was only ten minutes away, in one of those old neighbourhoods where Victorian houses lined the quiet streets.
Last ride, last drive, and the pick-up point was so close… there was no point in not taking advantage of it. As much as I wanted to get home, every dollar mattered.
I agreed and drove out into the evening traffic.
A few minutes later I pulled up to a dark house with ivy wrapped around the walls and peeling paint that was probably once white. Not a single streetlight was on. I honked, but there was no movement inside. I checked the address again – it was the same house.
‘Come on, Marcus,’ I said to myself. ‘Just go home.’
But that nagging feeling wouldn’t leave me. Sighing, I put the car in park, walked to the front door, and knocked.
A frail voice called from inside, ‘Just a minute!’
I heard something heavy being dragged slowly and methodically across the floor. My fingers drummed nervously on the door frame.
When the door finally creaked open, I found myself face to face, not with danger, but with a petite woman who was at least ninety.
She wore a pale blue pillbox hat, as if it came from the 1960s, and an era-appropriate floral print dress. A pearl necklace glittered softly around her neck.
Behind her back, the house seemed frozen in time. White sheets draped the furniture like ghosts, and the walls were bare except for faded patches where paintings had once hung.
In the corner stood a cardboard box overflowing with old photographs, their edges frayed by time. The air smelled of lavender and memories.
‘Could you take my bag to the car?’ – She asked, pointing to a small, well-worn suitcase.
‘Sure. Glad to help.’ I picked up the suitcase, marvelling at its lightness, and held out my hand to her.
She took it with surprising grace, as if we were going to dance a waltz rather than walk up the creaky steps of her porch.
‘Watch out for the third step,’ she warned. ‘It’s been wobbly since 1982. Frank was always going to fix it, but you know how husbands are with their to-do lists.’
As we settled into the taxi, she gave me the address, but then hesitated. ‘Couldn’t you take the long way round? Through the city centre?’
I glanced at my watch. ‘It’s not the shortest way.’
‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said softly. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m going to the hospice.’
My heart clenched. In the rearview mirror, I saw her eyes glisten with unshed tears. The streetlights illuminated the silver of her hair, making it shine like starlight.
‘I have no family left,’ she continued, smoothing her dress with trembling hands. ‘The doctor says I don’t have long to live.’
Only a man with an icy heart could refuse her request, and I was not one of those. I switched off the meter and looked at her over my shoulder.
‘Which route do you want to take?’
For the next two hours we drove through the sleeping city while she told her life story.
The older woman had worked as a secretary in the old Thompson building for thirty years. She showed me the tiny house she lived in with her husband Frank until he passed away 15 years ago.
‘We saved for seven years to buy this house,’ she said, looking out the window with a soft smile. ‘Everyone said we were crazy for wanting such a small house, but it was perfect for us. See that tall oak tree out back? Frank built the kids a tree house.’
As we drove past a crumbling warehouse, she asked me to slow down. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the building.
‘This used to be the ballroom…this is where I met my husband,’ she said, her voice warm from the memories. ‘He stepped on my dress during our first dance. I thought he was a bumbling fool.’
I couldn’t help but smile. ‘And he proved you wrong?’
‘Oh no, he was clumsy all the way. But he was my clumsy fool.’ She laughed softly, then fell silent. ‘We danced here every anniversary until this place was torn down.’
We sat for a while, looking at the old warehouse that had once been a ballroom.
My heart ached for the world she had lost, for the places where she held precious memories that time had changed forever. She took a deep breath and I turned to look at her.
‘Thank you for doing this for me… I don’t even know your name.’
‘Marcus,’ I replied.
She smiled. ‘My name is Margaret. Thank you for taking me to see these places one last time, Marcus, but I’m getting tired. Let’s go to the hospice.’
As dawn coloured the sky, I drove her to the address she’d given me. Two orderlies came out with a wheelchair as we pulled up. When Margaret tried to pay me, I shook my head.
‘But you have to earn a living,’ she protested, holding her open purse in her lap.
‘There are other passengers.’ I helped her out of the car and she surprised me by hugging me with her frail arms.
‘You gave an elderly woman some joy tonight,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you, Marcus.’
A month later, my dispatcher called to say that my car had been requested at the same hospice where I had taken Margaret. When I arrived, a man in an expensive suit was waiting for me at the curb.
‘Marcus?’ – He asked. ‘I’m Margaret’s lawyer. She asked to see you before she died.’
He led me down a quiet corridor to a dimly lit room where Margaret lay in bed, looking smaller than ever. Her fingers were cold as she took my hand.
‘I knew you’d come,’ she said. ‘I don’t have much time, so listen carefully.’
Her lawyer opened a folder while Margaret explained that she was leaving me her house and savings of about $100,000.
‘Margaret, I can’t accept that,’ I said stammering.
‘Yes, you can.’ Her voice became firm, and for a moment I saw the strength that had carried her for 90 years. ‘For 20 years, my family forgot I existed. No phone calls. No visits. Nothing. You treated me like a human being. You saw me.’
I visited Margaret every day until she passed away peacefully in her sleep. When none of her relatives came for her, I organised her funeral.
But on the day of the funeral, three strangers appeared, dressed in black, their faces contorted with anger.
‘We are her grandchildren,’ one of them scoffed. ‘And who are you?’
The fourth man stepped forward, his face hard as granite. ‘And I am her son. I’m here to settle my mother’s inheritance.’
My stomach churned at the sudden interest in Margaret, but I kept silent. A week later, the court papers came to me.
The family’s expensive lawyers were accusing me of manipulation and inheritance fraud. They sat smugly in court, confident of victory. But Margaret had foreseen everything.
‘The deceased has recorded the testimony that will now be heard,’ the judge announced.
There was silence in the courtroom as Margaret’s tired but determined face appeared on the screen.
‘My so-called family,’ she began, ’I’ve been waiting for you. I hoped this would be the last time I would see you all. But you’ve ignored me for twenty years. No birthdays. No holidays. Nothing. You can’t capitalise on neglect.’
Her son scoffed, but Margaret leaned closer to the camera, her eyes fierce. ‘I was in my right mind when I changed my will. All the doctors confirmed it. All the papers are signed. And if you dare to claim I was manipulated, ask yourself why a stranger has treated me with more kindness in one night than you have in twenty years.’
The judge dismissed the case immediately, citing that Margaret had made her intentions clear and had documented everything thoroughly.
Standing outside the courthouse, I felt the weight of the last few months come over me. Margaret had won. After decades of silence, she was finally being heard.
That evening after dinner, I took my family to the park and we watched the sunset together.
I promised myself that I would honour Margaret’s memory, not only by keeping her gifts, but by treating every passenger with the same kindness I had shown her that evening.
