June 15, 2019
I took Uber to my brother’s house. The ride was more than an hour.
The Uber driver confided with me his love story. He asked if I wanted plums. He said I was his first passenger for the day because that morning he went to his friend’s vineyard to pick cherries and plums. He gave half of the box to his lady friend. I sensed that he was referring to someone that was more than just a friend. I asked “your girlfriend?”
He said yes. This guy who was originally from Louisiana must be over 60 years old.
He said he and his lady friend are not seeing eye to eye. I threw a barrage of questions.” Why? Did you quarrel? What did you do? Why was she mad?”
He said he proposed to her but she said NO. Ouch!!! I told him why would he propose to a woman not knowing for sure if she would answer yes? He said they’ve been dating for a year but she didn’t want to get married because she would lose the financial benefits she’s getting from her dead husband’s pension. Valid reason.
Driver—–“I sent her some flowers on Mother’s Day. I also gave her money. I didn’t bring it myself. I asked a friend to deliver the flowers and the money.”
A—–“Why did you send her money?”
Driver—–“Because she needed money?”
A—–“Why would you give her money? She didn’t want to marry you”.
Driver—-“It’s her birthday. I sent her money so she could buy herself a gift”.
A—-“How much did you give?”
Driver—“Fifty dollars”. (Ngek ang liit naman pala).
When I told Edmund about the guy’s love story and the $50 he sent her, my husband’s reaction was “Ang laki naman”.
Kaya asiguro ayaw magpakasal sa kanya.
Love story continuation.
A—–“Why would you want to get married? What for? Are you in love with her? Is she in love with you?”
Driver—–“Yeah, I am in love with her”.
A——“Is she in love with you?”
Driver—–“I think she is”.
A—–“I don’t think so. She likes you but she’s not inlove with you”.
A—–“How old is she?”
Driver——“65”.
His wife died from cancer a few years ago. He thinks she died because of him. From pain, stress and a broken heart.
They were devout Mormons and he occupied a high position in their church.
He went astray. He had an affair with another married parishioner who was their friend.
His wife caught him when she started surfing through his email messages. Their affair was becoming known in their community. His wife left and never spoke to him again.
The husband of the woman he was having an affair with did not leave his wife. Instead,
he relocated his family to Phoenix to keep her away from this Uber driver.
When the church found out about his infidelity, he was stripped of his rights, privileges, and duties as an officer of the church.
He said their church is very strict. His goal now is to reclaim his old standing by proving himself a changed man worthy of respect. He said he has never had sex with his new girlfriend although she’s a widow and him, a widower. “We don’t do sex. That’s not allowed because we’re not married yet”.
A—-“So what are you going to do now? She doesn’t want to marry you. Just be friends”.
Driver—–“I will stay away from her. I will give her space. That’s what the Holy Spirit told me”.
When he found out that I am from the Philippines, he said he has a friend who’s married to a Filipina and they’ve been living in Bohol for twenty years. He has another friend who’s also married to a Filipina and their son plays professional basketball in the Philippines. He has another friend living here in America whose business is to match Filipina women with male American citizens. He carries around an album containing photos of beautiful Filipina women, including personal information about their education, hobbies, etc. He said his friend earns a commission every time a man signs up to hook him up with a potential Filipina fiancee.