Today I Said Goodbye...

Today, Amy is eleven. She is a bright and smiley and she's sitting quietly behind me with her sister, her mum is telling me what a shit time they all had in Florida.

Today, I get a poster put up on the office wall, its a picture of a kitten with BIG blue eyes, scribbled on it is "We love Keith! luv Amy"

Today, I took her to her first day at secondary school, she is chatty and excitable. Boys have been discovered I'm thinking...

Today, Amy is with three of her best friends they are going to a party, it's her first one that's not chaperoned. Much later I find her with with a group of boys and a cigarette is being puffed on like the grown ups do. I pick her up and take her home.

Today, her Mum started work at our place.  Amy now has a mobile phone, she is texting her friends and sits in the office waiting for her mum. She ignores me completely.  Mid teen angst and frown firmly in place, she is tutting at her mum to hurry up.

Today, I took her to where the bars are in town, she is slightly under-age, but mum says it's ok and she has to be in by eleven pm.  Her mum being a force of nature that the physicists haven't discovered yet, it's probably wise she does as she says. I pick her up and take her home at twelve thirty, her mum is at the door...

Today, I pick her up from college, she is on the phone again, bit tearful, I think it's man trouble.  She says her mum will pay, doesn't say goodbye and slams the car door.

Today, is the last day of college, she is out on the town, I've picked her up and she's happy and the energy is bouncing off her.  She pays me and throws herself into the heady summer night air.  I pick her up at four in the morning, she has found herself a man, on behalf of her mum I give him the "Look" If your a man you'll know the look I mean.

Today, I picked her up from work, ignores me again. Thumbs are clacking away at her phone in a text fury, not even sure she is aware I am here, but that's ok I'm the taxi driver, I'm just doing my job.

Today, her mum remarries, I'm invited to the wedding, I have to work but I make the effort and pop in to the reception in the evening for a short while, everyone is happy.  Amy is a woman now and we exchange grown up pleasantries.  I much later take them all to their new family home.

Today, I pick her up from work, she has been there two years now, again she is on the phone, facebook demands it... I tell her how many years I have been picking her up, this time she stops texting and we chat and laugh about times gone by.  Amy doesn't really know me at all, I've just sort of have been there in the background all this time.  Times arrow is swift.  I have just watched a young girl grow into a woman doing my job.

Today, I picked Amy up from work, she tells me she is moving to Brighton to work and live with her boyfriend hopefully in a couple of months and she is going on holiday in September.  She is telling me all this while her thumbs are paying homage to facebook, connecting to her world albeit in a digital format as we speak.  I tell her about my writing of this and that, don't think she listened, after all I'm just the bloke that takes her home now and again and that's ok because that's all I've ever done in her version of her world.

Today, I picked her up from work, she is working out her two week notice and is moving to Brighton in less than a couple of weeks, I wish her good luck and to tell her mum I said hello.  She got her worn grown up purse from her bag, paid me and walked away.  I said goodbye to Amy, maybe for the last time, she didn't hear me but that's ok, I'm just doing my job...