Taxi Medium

By Elizabeth

I lost my husband through a tragic accident on February 1999. Going through that kind of pain was very hard. Strange as it is, somehow, I think I knew ahead of time that a tragedy was going to happen.

The morning the accident happened, I was sleeping after getting home from driving a cab all night. My husband did the morning shift and was running late. I usually didn't let him wake or disturb me while I was sleeping because my sinuses would begin causing me problems almost immediately. That morning, he was showering me with kisses and I didn't complain at all.

Three hours later, I was awakened by a phone call from my husband's partner wondering where he was. He told me that my husband had called to tell him he had a flat tire and that had been at 5:30 a.m. His partner waited two hours before calling me. I told his partner that I was sure my husband would call when he was done, but I became worried and began trying to call him.

I left a message and wondered whether I should drive down that way to see if I could help. I decided that he would probably be done by the time I reached him, so I went back to sleep while waiting for him to call back.

When the phone rang again, it was not my husband. It was my brother-in-law warning me that the police were on  their way to see me. I asked him why and he told me that my husband was gone. Killed while changing a tire. I believed him due to the call I'd gotten earlier from my husband's partner. I would never wish that kind of pain on anyone - not even someone I didn't care for.

A few months later, I was still in great pain. It had gotten to the point where I had ceased caring whether I was alive or dead. I pretty much had a death wish. I wasn't going to commit suicide, nor did I have thoughts of suicide. I just didn't care anymore.

That evening I was driving the cab and, with everyone I picked up, I hoped that something would happen so I didn't have to be there anymore. I was overwhelmed with these emotions. I had a pick up at one of the bars that called the company. I picked the guy up and asked him where he wanted to go. He blurted out, "You need to eat something. I know you haven't eaten all day." I told him no and that I was not hungry. He insisted and I just figured he was drunk, so I ignored him, but he had me take him to Arby's and ordered enough food for an army.

I asked him again where he wanted to go. He told me to take him to Shakopee, then changed his mind and told me to take him home. "I have to hold you and keep you safe," he said.

I thought he was really strange and I couldn't wait to get him out of my cab. He started saying things about me and I became curious. He said that he needed to keep me from driving for awhile until I was safe. Then he explained that HE wasn't saying these things - someone else was. The guy was fighting something and having an argument with himself. He explained to me that sometimes people talked through him. He didn't like it and it freaked him out when it happened. I felt he was telling me the truth about being a receiver, but I didn't let on to him that I believed him.

I demanded that he tell me where he wanted to go as I had other pick ups to make. I ended up taking him to his home, not too far from the restaurant. He continued to insist that he had to keep me from driving for awhile. I asked him who was telling him this. His response was "Sam" which was the name of my deceased husband. I asked him why he had to keep me from driving and he said that I was in danger.

The guy hated Sam and hated having to keep me there. Sam was very strong and said things to him about me that the guy was repeating to me. Such things as "you have a purpose here and you are not ready to come".

I said to Sam, "Don't you want me to come?" and his response through the guy was "No, I can't let that happen." I questioned his love for me and his response was that it didn't matter. The guy was getting very frustrated because I wouldn't stop asking questions. The guy was fighting Sam and arguing with him. It looked strange watching this happen.

I knew Sam was there because some of the things the guys said only Sam would say. Even the quote he would say when he was alive and angry with me - "Love flew out the window a long time ago and I didn't have anywhere else to go."

I was still curious, so I kept the conversation going until the guy finally said that the danger had passed and I could go. He decided, at that point, that he still wanted to go to Shakopee, so I took him there. The guy was talking and laughing as I drove and seemed okay.

On the way, I prevented an accident because I was again aware of my surroundings. If I'd have still had the "I don't care" attitude, I would not have seen it coming and would have been killed instantly. At the last minute, a car wanted to take the same exit I needed and cut in front of me.

I saw the same guy over two months later, but he didn't want anything to do with me, even refusing the cab ride. He was very scared of me, wanting to run away from me as he was afraid Sam would come through him again.

Now, I have moved on with my life, and am grateful for the help. Things do happen for a reason, though understanding them and dealing with them are another story.

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