I was going into work early today and decided to do a trip or two, all on DF's, to write off miles I was going to drive anyway (in theory). While I was a ways out I got a 5.00 ping 24 minutes away in the direction I was going.
As I pulled up I could see the woman was young but wasn't moving very quickly. She had a couple of items with her and seemed out of it as she approached the car. Then I noticed the "baby bump" and heard her moaning and grunting!
Yes I could have canceled...I'm sure that's what half of you will claim you would have done. But geez, I couldn't leave her there! The hospital was 15-20 minutes away. Of course I was worried about a mess in my car, or -- even worse -- needing to deliver a baby myself, but I hoped and prayed she'd be OK. A couple of times I looked back at her and her face was wincing in pain.
Every bump we hit caused her to yelp out in pain, so I tried more than usual to avoid them. She kept chanting something that sounded either like praying or the word "ouchie" in a foreign language. She didn't seem to speak English although she did confirm "hospital" initially. I thought maybe she spoke French, but there were too many words I didn't recognize. So my best guess would be Somali...she was wearing a hijab and was not super duper dark like West Africans.
I pulled into the ER circle, stopped the car, and asked her if she needed assistance. She nodded, so I opened the door for her and offered her my hand. She accepted but walked in on her own as soon as she stood up. I did carry her bag into the building.
The security guard could see what was happening and hopped up out of his station. I simply said, "This woman appears to be in labor or some sort of distress. I'm an Uber driver. Can I leave her with you?" He said yes and hurried to grab a wheelchair. I told her "God bless you", I departed, and that was that.
Some of you will blast me for transporting her. Some of you may be angry with me for increasing rider expectations, and think we should act more like a union. I don't care. Someday I will meet my maker and I believe part of my fate depends on how I treat others. I'm not always the kindest person so things like this may be a baby step in the right direction.
As I pulled up I could see the woman was young but wasn't moving very quickly. She had a couple of items with her and seemed out of it as she approached the car. Then I noticed the "baby bump" and heard her moaning and grunting!
Yes I could have canceled...I'm sure that's what half of you will claim you would have done. But geez, I couldn't leave her there! The hospital was 15-20 minutes away. Of course I was worried about a mess in my car, or -- even worse -- needing to deliver a baby myself, but I hoped and prayed she'd be OK. A couple of times I looked back at her and her face was wincing in pain.
Every bump we hit caused her to yelp out in pain, so I tried more than usual to avoid them. She kept chanting something that sounded either like praying or the word "ouchie" in a foreign language. She didn't seem to speak English although she did confirm "hospital" initially. I thought maybe she spoke French, but there were too many words I didn't recognize. So my best guess would be Somali...she was wearing a hijab and was not super duper dark like West Africans.
I pulled into the ER circle, stopped the car, and asked her if she needed assistance. She nodded, so I opened the door for her and offered her my hand. She accepted but walked in on her own as soon as she stood up. I did carry her bag into the building.
The security guard could see what was happening and hopped up out of his station. I simply said, "This woman appears to be in labor or some sort of distress. I'm an Uber driver. Can I leave her with you?" He said yes and hurried to grab a wheelchair. I told her "God bless you", I departed, and that was that.
Some of you will blast me for transporting her. Some of you may be angry with me for increasing rider expectations, and think we should act more like a union. I don't care. Someday I will meet my maker and I believe part of my fate depends on how I treat others. I'm not always the kindest person so things like this may be a baby step in the right direction.
