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A Passenger, a Cabdriver and a Missing $10 Bill

Dear Diary:

On New Year’s Day evening, I shared a taxi with a friend who lives close by. She gave me a $10 bill as she exited the cab, and I went on to my apartment building a few blocks away. I read the meter as $13, so I gave the driver the $10 and six singles. The driver then began to argue with me that I had only given him $6.

I had a vague recollection that when I handed over the money, one of the bills had wafted out of my hand and on to the front seat. The driver insisted that there was no $10 bill on the front seat. As the conversation became more acrimonious â€" I accused him of pulling some sort of scam, for one thing â€" I finally gave him $14 (by then the meter had turned over), I got out of the cab, shaking my fist at him and yelling “I’ve got your number!,” implying that I would report him to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Fast forward to the next evening. My doorman buzzed up. “Did you take a cab here last night?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Well, a driver just pulled up and gave me a $10 bill. Said it was for the lady he dropped off last night.”

Thank you, Mr. Cabdriver, wherever you are.

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