Normally, I wouldn't have picked up the call. Someone needed a ride out on 64th Street near Central on the west side of the Rio Grande river. I had just dropped off at the airport and was way down and way available in the Triangle Zone. I thought a fifteen minute trip to the other side of town might be a good way to keep the cab moving. "47!" "47?" "200 64th SW, triangle 8." "Triangle 8." That's all there was to it, and off I went.

It turned out to be two older Hispanic ladies. They wanted to go to the El Paso Limousine Bus Station near Downtown. Along the way, we stopped at Ski-Hi Liquors for them to pick up a bottle for the trip, an ATM machine to pay me, and a drug store to pick up a coke to mix with the booze. They were worried that they wouldn't make it to the bus by 11 o'clock in the morning, but I got them there with 10 minutes to spare. They mixed the booze and paid me for the thirteen buck ride. That's all there was to it, and off I went.

Ten minutes later, my dispatcher called my number. "47, did you find any money in your cab?" Is that a trick question? "For somebody you dropped at El Paso." I looked around the back seat and the floor of the cab (they spilled a little booze of the floor, dammit). "47, nope, no money." Ladies shouldn't mix booze in one hand and hold money in the other. They must have dropped it on the ground on the way to the front door of the bus station. No time for pity. This was Pow Wow Friday in Albuquerque (The biggest Indian Pow Wow in the world!), and there were more rides to be had.

An hour later, I took a regular from her house to the nearby K-mart. Usually she went to the beauty shop, but today, she went to K-Mart. As I opened the door for her, my eye caught a glimpse of money wedged into the cushion of the back seat. I didn't do anything until I dropped her off, and I discovered that those two old ladies had left two twenties in the cab. A forty dollar tip they didn't mean to leave.

I didn't feel good about it, but there wasn't much I could do. The ladies were on their way down south, and if I didn't take the money, someone else would. I wish I had found it when they first called in about it, but it was all in vain now. My mind flashed back to the John Carpenter's B-movie classic They Live I'd watched the night before. There's this scene where our hero (Rowdy Roddy Piper) wears special sunglasses that make him see the world as it really is. It's a world full of aliens, propaganda and subliminal orders. When he looks at money, it's really just paper that plainly states This Is Your God. With forty extra dollars I didn't really earn, this was the thought that popped into my head. I shook my head with regret, stuffed the money in my pocket, and called in for another ride. This was Pow Wow Friday in Albuquerque, and there were more rides to be had.

Two hours later, the call came in for me to pick up a guy on Encino. I knew it was six buck ride for someone wanting to join the military. Those rides had been few and far between lately. It turned out the guy had been in the Marines for four years already and was now joining the Army. He joked that he would try all four branches for four years, and then pick the best one for another four before retiring. Strange guy, but I've met stranger. As I took him Downtown, I saw my two old ladies wandering around near the public library. They pointed at me, and I waved at them. They were still in town. They hadn't gone anywhere. I dropped off my Marine-turned-Army-grunt and pondered the dilemma.

All I had to do was keep driving, and the money was mine. It was that easy. Then, the Scout Law which I was brainwashed with as a child popped into my head (a scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent). While I've never been known to follow all 12 laws, an old Eagle Scout like me is good to follow nine or ten of them. Then, there was the scene from They Live. It's just money. It's just paper, and it is not my God! The decision took me a whole ten seconds.

I veered the cab to where I last saw them, pulled over to the side when I found them, and I held out two twenties. I explained that I didn't find the money for a while, and they said they missed the bus looking for the cash. We shook hands, and they praised me for being an honest man. I think I lived up to being a trustworthy, helpful, friendly and kind Eagle Scout with that gesture. I think I lived up to my Rowdy Roddy Piper status by not letting the corrupt system control me. I think things worked out all right for everyone.

That's all there was to it and off I went because this was Pow Wow Friday in Albuquerque, and there were more rides to be had.

Chris Jungle still made over $200 for himself during his twelve-hour shift.