Chair Shots

Play Along At Home

 I'm downtown near the arena when a pro wrestling show ends, so a surge price happens and I get a ping to wade into a sea of departing cars. It's not fun and not really what I try to do in this work; you are way more likely to get caught in the traffic and not make a good hour of wages than to eat some sweet, sweet surge price... but the gig does not care, and in you go. 

I eventually find my fares, who ask to use the trunk so they can store their giveaway items (of course). These turn out to be two steel folding chairs with promotional stickers on them, because beating on your opponent with a steel folding chair is just a long standing trope by now, and hey, free chairs. After ten minutes of wrestling the traffic, the rain, and Trenton's finest annoyed cops in rain pointing at people, we're off and having a fine time, because I contain multitudes (and can talk about wrestling).

They are curious about rideshare and had a story to tell about the number of drivers who they had to cancel on or who canceled on them, so I tell them the tricks of the trade from my side of things. At a red light, I pulled up the ap I wasn't using and showed them what the map around the arena looked like now -- and it's bright glowing surge, big numbers. They express amazement, so I hint at a heel turn.

"Yeah, I'm getting kind of pissed off, just looking at it."

Nervous laughter. We are also, it should be noted, not in a great neighborhood.

"Get out of my ca... oh, wait. There's two of you."

More laughter.

"And you've got... STEEL CHAIRS."

Big pop. And later on, a tip.