No One Other Than God Could Have Arranged This Uber Ride

Uber! A name that doesn't require any recognition. The company has revolutionized the taxi business across the world.

I enjoyed many rides with Uber, but the one ride during the lockdown in Sept of 2020 distinctly stands-out above the rest. It's a special one for me, one that I will remember all my life.

It was a Saturday weekend, and my wife had planned to go to my in-law's place along with my 1-year-old. We had just shifted our in-laws to a nearby location as they required medical attention. Their original residence was at a distance, making it difficult to reach during an emergency.

My mother-in-law was desperate to see her grandchild and had requested my wife to bring him along. My wife wanted me to join her for a visit, and since it was a holiday, I had agreed.

My Uber Ride Begins

I booked a Uber at around noon so that we can reach the destination during lunchtime. The cab came on time for the pickup, and my wife ensured that she sprays the disinfectant in every possible corner of the passenger seat before we boarded and started the ride.

I was busy with my son as I showed him the trees and the vehicles around; when the driver asked me whether I am paying in cash or by card. I told him that I always pay through my e-wallet as I don't carry much money. He just nodded in acknowledgment, and the ride continued.

We reached our destination on time and proceeded with our plans. We had decided to take lunch and return within an hour, as I had some work on hand. However, as my wife got busy with her family, and I had to excuse myself and return alone as she would be there for a few more hours.

The ride back home that changed my life

I again booked my Uber ride, and to my surprise, it was the same driver again. As if destiny had a surprise for me. He came on time and was equally surprised to see me again.

I got in, and the disinfectant smell was still strong. I casually joked, saying, "I didn't know Uber now has dedicated drivers for customers."

He had a smile and said I had halted for lunch, and it was sheer coincidence that we met again (now remember this sentence because this coincidence was the root of this story).

He asked me the same question again - what would be the payment mode, and I again said, "wallet payment." However, this time he requested if I can pay in cash (maybe I got too friendly, I thought). 'No, I never pay in cash,' I told him in a stern voice. He didn't reply and started the ride.

I went back to my phone, trying to scroll through some of my social media pages. Usually, I like chatting with drivers and listening to their stories. But the request for cash payment had turned me off, so this time, I was silent.

There was one more reason for my silence. A recent ride with another taxi operator had gone all wrong. The company had overcharged me for extra waiting time that I spent time on the road as a humanitarian gesture due to a car break down. That incident left a sour taste in my mouth.

So coming back to this ride, I was sitting quietly. The traffic was slow-moving on the highway due to some construction work. As the vehicle moved forward at a snail pace, the driver's phone rang, breaking the car's silence.

He picked up the call. I was able to hear the conversation courtesy of the Bluetooth connection he had with the car audio. He was not aware that I could listen to him because I had put on my headphones to indicate I was busy, but it was just a hoax as there was no sound - did that to avoid any further conversation with the driver.

A lady at the other end had called up for some pending dues. From the little conversation I could hear, my driver requesting and begging for some time. I thought this might be a usual conversation on some financial obligations and went back to my phone.

But suddenly, a sentence caught my attention. The lady on the call shouted, "If you don't pay today, your daughter will not be able to attend classes from Monday. We have given you enough time, now no more extension".

I lifted my head from the phone, and the driver realized that I had overheard the conversation and quickly inserted his headphone to continue with the call, which ended after few minutes.

I knew something was not right as I could hear him muttering to himself. The stress on his face was evident, so I couldn't resist asking him if there was an issue.

He stated that the call was from his daughter's school. They wanted him to pay the pending fees. He was upset that the schools were not following the government rules on not charging fees during the lockdown and putting pressure on parents.

"Why don't you complain to the authorities? They will fine the school management.", I suggested.

"What's the point? They will still tell me to pay in the future, and besides, will take out the grudge on my poor daughter?

This small chat turned out to be an icebreaker as he slowly started opening up to me.

"I am an idiot, my wife had told me to put my kid in a municipal school where all our poor kids go, but it was me who wanted my girl to get into a private school for a better future.

I thought I would earn enough with this car, to give my daughter a happy life, but the pandemic has now broken my back. The incentives are near zero, the earnings have tumbled to less than half, and the school wants us to buy laptops for online classes in addition to the monthly fees.

Sir, how do people like us arrange for such expensive gadgets. I am still taking the risk to be on the road and putting my life at risk, but there is hardly any business."

"I thought I would earn enough for at least paying the fees, but after paying for the car installments and other loans, there is hardly anything left.

I am requesting passengers to give me cash to immediately pay my daughter's school fees, as the company's payment takes 3 days. But all rides today have been on the wallet".

I felt terrible after listening to his story. Unknowingly, I had been rude to a person who was only trying to get money for his darling daughter. I started to introspect my attitude and got deeply engrossed in my thoughts. While getting down, I thanked him for the ride and asked him the name of his daughter's school. He gave me the name but told me not to complain about it to anyone, else his kid would suffer.

I assured him that I wouldn't tell anyone about it and took a leave.

The Uber ride ends, but the story just started.

I started working on my assignment back home, but my mind was in total distraction; I could not concentrate. My mind was still thinking about the ride and conversation.

I shut down my laptop and picked up my phone to google the school name he mentioned. The result flashed; it was just 2 km from my house.

I couldn't stop myself from picking up my bike and reach the school. I went straight to the admin section. I figured out the driver's name from the Uber ride history. Hoping it to be his real name, I asked the clerk over the counter for information on a kid, basis her father's name. She bluntly refused to give any information to strangers. I tried explaining to her the reason for my visit, but she was in no mood to listen.

Luckily for me, an elderly lady (who I later came to know was a teacher) overheard our conversation. She came to me and understood the whole situation. After convincing the lady, the clerk checked the computer records and told me that the man had to pay INR 1200 ($ 16) for the entire quarter.

I immediately pulled out the cash from my pocket and told her to clear the dues. The clerk gave a look at the teacher, who nodded to her in affirmation. She accepted the cash and gave me the receipt.

As I was about to leave, the teacher called me from behind, "Thanks for your generous gesture. The girl is bright and would be happy to know that she could continue with her school."

I told her to do me a favor; I gave her my number and requested her to call me if such a situation arises for the kid in the future. She agreed and gave me her number in return.

I came home to find my wife and son back. My wife asked me where I had suddenly disappeared, and I narrated the entire incident. She was happy at my gesture and said she would do the same if she were in my shoes.

One problem solved, but one more left.

While I was satisfied with my action, something was hurting me from inside. I knew that the girl still wanted a laptop or a tablet for online classes. Now, that was a significant investment that was over my budget. I was in deep thought, trying to find an answer, and Eureka! A brainwave struck me.

I recalled that my niece had brought a new I-pad for herself and wanted to give her old branded tab to my kid. I had refused her, as I didn't want my son to get onto the internet so soon.

I immediately told my wife to call her up and inquire about the same. Luckily for me, it was still with her, in some corner, lying unused. I asked her whether I could borrow it, and she agreed.

Now, I had to call up the driver to handover the tab. But I didn't have his number because Uber connects you to the board numbers. So with no other option, I dialed the teacher for help, and she willingly accepted.

I wanted her to call the father of the girl to the school on Monday. She called me back and advised me to be in school at 1 pm on Monday.

I looked at my calendar to adjust my scheduled meetings. My wife wanted to join me, so both of us went to school on Monday.

The emotional overflow

I could recognize the man from a distance as soon as I entered the school compound. Standing beside him was a cute angel, holding his hand. As soon as the teacher saw me, she pointed her finger at me and said, "ye Sahab the" (this was the man - in Hindi).

The man turned with a puzzled look, and as soon as he saw my face, I could see tears flow from his eyes. He hugged me tight and said, "all this while I was wondering who had paid the fees. He was full of gratitude and emotions. He told me that he could not sleep for 2 nights due to this stress and never had imagined that someone would help him in such a situation.

In an emotional tone, he said, "Sir, give me some time, and I will repay every penny with interest."

I refused to accept any money from him, but he insisted that he would want to pay it back because he intends to educate his daughter with his hard-earned money and not by begging.

I didn't want to demean his self-respect, but at the same time, I didn't want to take the money back and burden him.

We finally agreed on a midway. The driver agreed to a pickup and drop service for my sis-in-law, who was working during the lockdowns and finding it difficult to get cabs. We also agreed that she would pay 75% of the fare while deducting 25% from my so-called debt.

He immediately agreed and again thanked me.

As we finished our conversation, my wife called the small girl. She was hesitant, but her dad told her to say thank-you to us. Which she sweetly obliged and came near. She was a beautiful little girl with brown eyes and a smile of an angel.

My wife pulled out the tab from her bag and handed it to her. We could sense a glitter in her eyes. But before taking, she looked at her father. The man refused to accept anything more from us and said that we did a lot and he can't expect more.

"The tab was a scrap for the owner. It's good that someone could use it rather than lying dead in the corner of a house," I told him.

He finally agreed to accept the tab, and I could see the happiness in the angel's eyes, which were desperately looking at her father in the hope of a yes.

My wife had made the tab ready with some educational software and a few games. So as she started explaining to the girl how to use the device, I decided to have a tea and asked the driver if he wants to join me, and he was ok.

As we walked to the tea shop, he told me how stress-free he was feeling and that he had not slept for three days because of the tension of paying the fees. He couldn't express his gratitude in words and considered all this to be an incredible coincidence.

I told him that it was destiny that created the coincidence. Else, how can so many sequences happen at the right time:

I traveled alone when the plan was to be with family. Had I been with my kid, I wouldn't have given much attention to the conversation.

The driver would have left the place had he not waited for lunch and started his app at just the right time to get my ride.

The phone call seemed to be from heaven, else the entire setup of the ring and me hearing the discussion would not have been possible.

It all looks like someone had written a script, and we were just actors enacting the scene.

Fast forward to today!

The man still picks up and drops my sis-in-law to the office and back even though he had paid his debt.

My sis-in-law is happy that I helped her solve her traveling issue.

I have never received a call from the teacher for pending fees. So I guess the man can pay it himself.

My learnings from this experience:

• The happiness of giving is far more than taking something - This experience made me realize what absolute pleasure is. It helped me understand the true meaning of satisfaction. The joy of giving is far more than getting something from someone. The value I gained from it was incomparably more than the money paid I spent. I got to know the true meaning of life and what it feels like to touch someone else's life. It's a heavenly experience that no money can buy.

• Never create stereotypes; every person is different - I was rude to this guy because I had made perception for all drivers basis a previous bad experience. I didn't realize that every person is different. But destiny had its way of teaching me this lesson.

• Please don't wait for opportunities; grab it when it strikes - We always try to plan and wait for the right time to take action. Most of my friends want to give back to society but feel that they should wait more and save a sizable amount to donate. But a good deed need not always be pricey. A small help can go a long way in touching someone's life.

• Karma is for real - Karma symbolizes the proverb, "As you sow, so shall you reap." Do good, and you will get it back in life.