The Extraordinary Adventures of A Gou chapter 1

This Woman Is Unusual

Tom is a native New Yorker. He was laid off a few years ago and hasn’t been able to find a new job. So, he started driving an unlicensed taxi to support his family of three.

One day, Tom drove around the streets for ages but couldn’t find a single passenger. Meanwhile, the fuel gauge in his car was dropping rapidly. Just as he was getting frustrated, he saw a woman waving at him by the roadside.

It was a single woman carrying a small handbag. Tom drove over and stopped in front of her. “Ma’am, need a ride?” he asked. The woman looked at him with her big, beautiful eyes and said, “The place I’m going to, you probably won’t dare to take me. I’d better wait for a regular taxi.” Well, that was quite a provoking thing to say! There was no place Tom was afraid to go. “Tell me where you want to go. As long as the pay is right, I’ll take you anywhere,” he replied.

The woman paused for a moment, then named a place that nearly gave Tom a heart – attack. “I need to go to Chicago to pick someone up and then come back to New York. Do you dare to take me?”

Hearing that she wanted to go to Chicago, Tom was shocked. What a strange person! Chicago was so far from New York. Only a fool would take such a long – distance ride. He was about to say no, but then he thought: Maybe she was just joking. Who would be so stupid as to take a taxi all the way from New York to Chicago instead of taking a plane or a train? With this thought, Tom smiled. He opened the car door and said, “Not only Chicago, even if it’s Canada, I’ll take you there.”

The woman was delighted. Her beautiful face blossomed like a flower. She got into the car and sat in the front passenger seat. “My hometown is in the suburbs of Chicago. When we get there, you’ll have to wait for me a few hours. You can take a rest then. How much do you want?”

It was really over the top to keep joking after getting in the car. Afraid she would continue the act, Tom got straight to the point. “I’m not asking for much. Just give me $10,000.” He thought this would surely shock the woman. But to his surprise, she readily nodded and agreed. “Okay, but I won’t pay for the tolls and bridge fees.”

You’re tough! When one plan failed, Tom came up with another. “But you have to pay me first. Once I get the money, I’ll take you to Chicago right away.” This time, the woman was stunned. She stared at Tom with her big eyes for a long time and then said hesitantly, “What if I pay you and then you don’t go?” Tom laughed and patted his chest. “Who do you think I am? I’m a real New Yorker. I always keep my word. If I take your money and then chicken out, I’ll pay you double. How about that?”

Tom just wanted to scare her, but the woman thought for a long time. Finally, she opened her handbag, took out a stack of hundred – dollar bills, and put them in Tom’s hand. “Count it. It’s exactly $10,000.”

Tom was dumbfounded. He stammered, “Ma’am, you… you really want to go to Chicago?” Hearing this, the woman was quite surprised. “What a stupid question! If I didn’t want to go to Chicago, why would I have hailed you? Come on, start the car.”