Rumble

Royal rumble: Miia, myself, and our housemate and neighbours versus one crazy cab driver, who upped the price after dropping us off and refused to unhand a suitcase until we paid up. Everyone jumped into the fray and said the price was too high, and five different hands tugged the bag in all directions. He swore, we swore, he spat, we spat, he pushed, we pushed. Finally, Miia gave in, gave him the extra buck because sometimes fighting over principles is uneconomic and bad for your health. He slapped the bill from her hand and hit her in the face in the process. She snapped, got up in his face screaming. I snapped, shoved him once, twice, three times backward, screamed obscenities, told him to take his money and get gone. He looked a bit shocked, but he started yelling again. I screamed back. Kwaku restrained me, pulled me back to the house. I took the suitcase in, came back out and the guy was back in his cab, shaking and sweating and still yelling, but in the process of leaving. Kwaku is a peace-loving man and I’m glad he brought such a cool head to an explosive event. I was mad, confused, it made so sense. Cabbies often try to cheat you, so does everyone else. But this was over the top, extortion in the face of mass opposition. He was mad, or desperate.