Mohammed was stretching to his 12-hour shift when he picked me up from work on Friday night. He had been working since noon, and he only planned to stop once the clock strikes midnight. The time he uses to rest, he said, is when everyone is asleep. While he’s awake, he makes the most by working as a driver and a real state agent in Long Island.
Originally from Bangladesh, Mohammed moved to the U.S. in 2011 after his parents got a green card. He stayed in NYC for three months, and then later he found himself on the West coast enjoying the Californian sunsets and the busy life of Los Angeles. When I asked him why he moved to LA, he asked, ‘why wouldn’t you?’ The life near the beach, the warmth of the people on each corner of the city and the life in California were some of the things he enjoyed, and now misses, the most about the city of angels. He back to NYC in 2017 to stay closer to his parents, and while he misses CA, he loves being close to family.
Throughout the ride, he asked about my life and what I did for a living. When I mentioned my Brazilian roots, he went on and on about his admiration for soccer stars like Ronaldinho and how he always wanted to visit Rio de Janeiro, especially during one of its biggest holidays — Carnaval. While he always loved the country, he had never met a Brazilian before. He was glad I was his passenger that night, and in return, I was happy I got to hear his story.
On the back seat of his Toyota Highlander, two notebooks rested. At one point during our conversation, Mohammed pointed out why they were there and what they were for. The notebooks, he said, have been with him on every ride for the past four years, when he started working as a driver, and since then, he has been collecting notes from each one of his passengers. His hope, he said, is to one day publish a book with all of the notes he collected throughout the years.
Skimming over the pages, I found all sorts of messages showcasing kindness, appreciation and, above all, heart. Mohammed wanted his passengers to write something “nice,” either about their day, something they’ve learned, life insights or anything that they can think of that might be worth sharing. In the end, he was left with hundreds of messages from the melting pot that NYC truly is. On my note, I told him about my admiration for his passion project and hoped to see his published book one day on a bookshelf.
From the book:
“Feel free to write
This book is going to be published. Hope you write something nice. You can leave your signature/name and date.
Thanks so much for ride with me.”
“I live with low expectations. This is an interesting idea. Perhaps we will connect differently this way. That being said, I have enjoyed my holographic universe more through this. Thank you for experimenting with consciousness.”
“We are all stars…
Made up of stardust…
So shine! :) and smile <3
And love!”
“<3 to all of this!!!
How can you appreciate and enjoy even more love + serendipity in this moment?”
“Just a regular Wednesday!
To anyone who reads this, you are AWESOME! Stay optimistic & pass on positivity! Good vibes are contagious!
& if you ever want to talk or just need someone to hear you, there’s no better diary than a stranger… XXX-XXX-XXXX”
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