When we left city limits I got nervous. The cabbie said nothing. I have short term memory loss and forgot where I was supposed to be going. Perhaps it was Brooklyn Heights. If I were more authoritative I could have prevented this. But I've always been reticent about creating friction. The meter ticks away. The sign we pass says, "Welcome to Nassau County". I've always wanted to visit there. Why not now?
Hopefully he'll take one of these exits because I have to pee. I'm going to need a calculator to figure his tip. Hey cabbie, if we keep going we'll hit the Atlantic. I force a smile and he half turns to me without a word. Finally he asks, "You healthy, no?"
I shrug and respond that I supposed so.
He suddenly slowed, pulled off at an exit and drove a few blocks to an empty parking lot. Out of nowhere a group of burly men pointing guns surrounded the cab. "What is all this?" I asked.
The cabbie looked directly at me and said, "My friends pay well for healthy kidneys."
That's when I saw the spray can. I took one breath as the stuff hit me and knew I'd never get to see Nassau.
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