A Tale of Two Couples
As a sideline hobby, I drive limousines for a local company in Surrey. I don’t do it for the money, which is to be honest, nothing to write home about. I use the income to help a pastor ministering to the poorest of the poor in South Africa and to treat my family for the odd milkshake or two. My heart goes out to every person that must do this full time as a means of income. I do it for its educational value. It teaches me the layout of Vancouver (Surrey I know by now) but more importantly it teaches me things about humankind and society. It forces me out of my comfort zone. It puts me in a position of relative powerlessness and servanthood. It gives me a view from a different vantage point. Yesterday was an especially educational endeavor…
I had to pick up a couple from their wedding. Both are Indian and the groom is Sheikh, so the wedding is a full blown, over-the-top Sheikh wedding. It is customary for the main ceremony to take place at the residence of the bride’s parents where after the couple is transported to the house of the groom’s parents where they spend the first night (if not many nights after as Indians tend to live in big multi-generational households). Both families are obviously wealthy families. The in-law’s house in Abbotsford overlooks beautiful mountains and valleys below. The house is a mansion with the best of everything. The driveway is filled with luxurious cars and no expense was spared for the ceremony, nor the garb of the bride and groom.
My pickup time was 2pm. I arrive on time but am told that they are still taking pictures and will be out in 20 minutes. “No Problem” I say with a smile and wait. I see that the photo session ends and a set of games then commences. It involves trivia and money being given to the couple. Lots of money, I gather. After an hour and a half, everybody finally gathers in front of the house. The bride comes out throwing handfuls of rice over her head. It is a symbol of giving back prosperity to the family that raised her. It is also an action that requires vacuuming afterwards, but I guess that will be a servant’s task. Movingly, the bride’s family say goodbye. They climb into my luxurious limousine bus. It is about an hour’s drive in heavy traffic to the groom’s house in Surrey. They request a stop at Bear Creek park for another photo session.
Since we arrive way before the photographers, I have time to get to know the couple better. To my surprise and the bride’s surprise she recognizes my accent as South African and tells me that she is originally from Johannesburg South Africa, Randburg, to be precise where half of my family still lives. The conversations flows and I really strike a chord with them.Their contract is only until 6 pm. I wait for them.
There is a couple at the picnic area just in front of the limousine. They are a typical Surrey “street people” couple. Tattooed with a lot of luggage and seemingly headed everywhere and nowhere. The woman of this couple comes up to me, peeks sheepishly inside the limo through the open door and ask me childlike if this is a “VIP bus”. “Indeed”, I say, “It is a limo-bus, usually rented by the wealthy. I am transporting newlyweds today”. I am not keen on her looking inside and hanging around the bus because my clients could be back any minute and I don’t think it will enjoy their approval. So, I am cordial rather than friendly when I speak to her. She nods and go and lie on her partner’s lap. I am extremely thirsty and walk up to a water fountain for a sip of water. I guess because of Covid, the fountain doesn’t give any water. I am tired and irritated. It is already 6:30pm and I miss my family. The male partner gets up and walks up to where I am sitting in the limo again. “Here we go again”, I think to myself. I am guessing he is going to ask me for money or something. He greets me. I greet back listlessly. “Listen man, I see you are thirsty. I have this sealed bottle of water. You can have it”. I look him in the eye and thank him. Touched by the way that he saw my human need in spite of his awe for the luxurious, unusual vehicle he and his partner shares. I drink it thirstily.
Just then the couple appear again. I put on my best smile. They are seemingly ever so grateful that I waited for them. I take them to the house where another entourage meets them on this next stage of their journey. As I open the door and we are in full view of the family waiting for them, the groom calls me, thanks me and shakes my hand. As he does so, I feel a bill being slipped in my hand. Like in the restaurant industry, tipping is an unwritten rule in limo-world. If you were friendly and courteous throughout and didn’t take any wrong turns you can usually expect a tip of at least 40 CAD. Some give 100. Considering everything done on this trip, the good rapport I established with the couple and the obvious wealth of the families, I assume this will be a reasonable tip. When I park the limo, I get out the bill I stuck in my pocket. It is 10 CAD.
Like I say I do this not for the money but for the sociological lessons I am being taught. A homeless couple, without needing to or benefitting in any way from me, sees a need, sees the person behind the job and fancy car and offers me what little they have. Even though I wasn’t kind to them at all. Society looks down on them. A wealthy couple with pockets full of cash just given to them by their wealthy family, tips ten dollars for five hours of dedicated labour for the show of generosity. Society looks up to them. I wonder how a man doing this for his bread and butter would have felt about this?“Can you hear the people sing? It is the voice of angry men”Monetary reward: 10 CAD. Societal insight: Priceless.
Gabriel J Snyman August 22, 2020