Welcome to my Nightmare (Don't think you're gonna Like It)

The dream is always the same.

I never see the risk of picking him up, he seems okay.

I notice that he's wearing gloves though the night is fair, but it fails to raise the red flag that it should.

I'm making conversation like I always do, get someone talking, it increases tips.

Then the turn, his change in demeanor, the gun to my head! I've got it now, but it's way too late!

Fear closes his ice cold hand around my balls.

I'm weighing options as I follow his directions. There are no fucking options!

My gun is in my briefcase, I should be wearing it, goddamn company policy!
Doesn't matter, inside a cab's a bad place for a standoff, worse place for a gunfight.

'Stay calm, let's see how it plays out before we panic' says the inner voice, the one who'd been sleeping on the job 3 minutes ago, easy for you to say fucker!

I know it'll go bad, because he's isolating us, he's scouted the location, and because I've only got $16 in the cab and nothing else to offer him but the cab itself.

He tells me to stop and kill the motor, the meter's running, the opposite of the clock in my head that's ticking to zero.

He's talking, I'm trying to listen, but my head is full of noise, like a tv tuned to a channel with no signal, my mind is racing, my wheels are spinning, no traction!

I hand over the money, you can't get a pizza for what I've got, he's furious!

He smashes my head with the gun, 2, 3, 4 times.

He puts the muzzle at the base of my skull and demands the rest, the noise in my head disappears the clock reaches zero and stops.

"That's all there is" I say calmly.

"Give me the rest!" I hear him cock the pistol.

"There is no more"

The Shot!

I'm screaming in the darkness!

Mrs. Gus is battling her own panic to calm me!

I cry as she holds me.

Sleep is chased out of the room for awhile, she'll work on her puzzle while I smoke and watch Time Life infomercials, Peter Fonda must be in rough shape to be hustling cd's on late night tv.



I had the dream every night for almost 2 years, and 2 to 5 times a week since then.

The medication helps, but it doesn't stop it, I din't scream much anymore, but jerk awake in a panic, soon the sedative over powers my fear and confusion and pulls me back down.

Welcome to my nightmare.

-The Greeter