Who Kissed Charlie Fine?

Chapter 5

The train station, with its ticket booth, snack bar, rest room and waiting area, was all of five hundred square feet. Though only a fifteen minute car ride to downtown Messengers and a forty minute ride to Niagara Falls, it had the look and feel of the middle of nowhere making anyone passing through it instantly more interesting. In a matter of seconds Charlie found a courtesy phone linked to the local cab company on the wall and picked up the receiver.

"We'll have a car there with for you in just a few minutes," a pleasant voice said.

"Roughly how long will it be?"

"Not long at all," said the dispatcher before hanging up on him.

Charlie and Martin took a seat on a bench to wait. Within ten minutes the station had emptied save for employees and two other passengers. Another five minutes passed before one of those passengers was picked up, then two more minutes before a honk for the last who gave Charlie a rotten, gloating smile on his way out.

A man arranging bags of chips at the snack stand suggested calling the cab company again. "Sylvester always picks up," he assured them.

Charlie did just that.

"Yes, hello, I called for a cab seventeen minutes ago and I'm still waiting."

"On our way."

"Are you sure you have the right address?"

"Train station direct line. Be there shortly."

"What's shortly?"

"Means soon." Click.

Martin sighed wearily as Charlie strangled the phone. "Why don't you have Uber?"

"Don't get me started, Martin."

"Well I'm a little parched," Martin said, confirming information with Uber on his phone with a few touches. "There! Our driver's name is Sylvester Heinz and he'll be here in four minutes." Charlie gave him a dirty look.

He addressed the man stocking the snack bar. "Excuse me, but the cab company I've been calling, the dispatcher's name is Sylvester?"

"The driver's is."

"Ah."

"Bet mine gets here first," Martin said, oblivious.

Seven minutes later, a cab pulled up and honked. Charlie grabbed his bag with a vice grip shaking his head with annoyed disbelief.

"Good afternoon!" the cabbie said, getting out slowly from his car. Considerably older then either Charlie or Martin, it was doubtful he would have rushed even if his body was capable of it. A bright but tired smile was on his face. "Take that for you?"

"Twenty-five minutes," Charlie said through a clenched jaw, refusing to hand over the bag.

"I'm not going to fight you for it," the cabbie chuckled.

"Twenty-five minutes," Charlie repeated sternly. "The answer to 'roughly how long?' is nearly twenty-five minutes."

"Isn't always," the cabbie shrugged and walked back to his driver's seat.

"Hey, you're my Uber driver!" Martin chimed in, seeing on his phone that the cabbie and Sylvester Heinz were one in the same.

"Guess I double booked myself," he said apologetically. "I'm still getting used to the app. Mind if I come back for you?"

"We're together," Charlie said, preferring to calm down as it was useless not to. "Are you the only cab driver in town?"

"It's convention season near the casinos. A lot of the guys stay parked up there. Mike and I usually take care of this area but he's gone visiting family so he can be back in time for the Messengers' anniversary. Helluva time to go camping. This week with the reunion has been crazy!"