"Hastily Heading to the Gate"

As I rushed out of the hotel lobby, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me. I was already running late for my flight, and the last thing I needed was to get stuck in traffic. I quickly scanned the street for a taxi, my eyes locking onto a yellow cab pulling up to the curb. I hastened my pace, weaving through the morning crowd to reach the taxi before anyone else could claim it. I jumped into the backseat, relieved to have secured a ride to the airport. The taxi driver, a gruff-looking man with a thick accent, eyed me in the rearview mirror. "Where can I take you, buddy?" he asked, his tone a little too chipper for my early morning taste. I settled into the seat, trying to get comfortable. "Just take me to gate C17 at LAX, please," I replied, hoping to keep the conversation brief. The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb, expertly navigating through the morning traffic. As we hit the highway, he turned to me again. "You flying today, huh? You look like you're in a hurry." I glanced down at my uniform, realizing that I hadn't even thought about changing out of it. The crisp white shirt and navy blue pants seemed to scream "pilot" to the taxi driver, and I knew I couldn't avoid talking about my job now. "Yeah, I'm the first officer on a 777 flight to Tokyo," I replied, trying to keep my responses short. The driver's eyes lit up in the rearview mirror. "Whoa, that's a long haul! You must be getting paid pretty well, huh?" I sighed inwardly, anticipating a long and tedious conversation about my job. I had always disliked small talk, especially with strangers, and the thought of discussing my career as a pilot with this taxi driver was not exactly thrilling. "Yeah, it's a good job," I said, trying to keep my responses brief. "But I really need to get to the gate. We're departing soon." The driver chuckled and nodded, seemingly undeterred. "No worries, buddy. I'll get you there in time. So, how long have you been flying?" I hesitated, wondering how much I wanted to reveal. But the driver seemed friendly enough, and I didn't want to be rude. "I've been flying for a few years now," I replied, trying to keep my answers vague. The driver nodded, seeming to accept my lack of enthusiasm for conversation. As we continued driving, I gazed out the window, watching the city blur by. I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that I was almost at the airport. Little did I know, my day was just about to get a lot more interesting.