Home again, home again. Our Lyft driver from O’Hare was incredibly “friendly,” and despite my putting giant headphones on as soon as I got in the car, insisted on interrupting me and making me take them off three separate times: to give me an estimate on when we’d arrive (which I had already seen on his phone, of course), to ask if it was too cold (it wasn’t, and if it was, I would’ve said so), and to thank me for ordering Lyft.
I did not tell him that my mother-in-law had died the previous day, but by the end of the 20-minute ride, I was ready to scream at him. I did not. I am too heavily-socialized for that, and of course, there was no way he could’ve known. I tipped him as I normally would, and said thank you for my suitcase.
But please, if you drive Uber or Lyft or a taxi, read the room. If your customer doesn’t seem chatty, please let them not chat. A silent ride can be a great kindness.