My Uber driver was German.
I walked out of the Hyatt Regency downtown where the GA Democrats held their election night party with my head in my hands and tears welling in my eyes. I was defeated. I called an Uber to bring me home, and removed each of the buttons and pins and stickers from my jacket, just in case my driver was for the other candidate.
My Uber driver was German.
I hopped in the Ford Escape and said nothing.
He cuts the silence. “(Address)?”
“Yeah,” I reply.
For some reason, I was caught off guard by his accent. Where was it from? New Zealand? Russia? Maybe Israel? After a few minutes of polite conversation, I asked the question: “where are you from?”
My Uber driver was German.
More silence.
“I like your jacket,” he says.
“Oh, thanks.”
“Wearing it for the election?”
I bow my head and my voice turns sour. “Yeah.”
“I feel the same way.”
We talk for a while — the polling error, the motivations behind the voters, the historical implications of the election.
He finally says what was on my mind the entire ride. “This reminds me of where I come from. And it’s scary.”
“I get it. I’m Jewish.”
“I’m sorry. My grandfather was a Nazi.”
Silence.
My Uber driver was German.
He breaks the tension again. “This is f***** up, right?”
“Very.”
“I want to say that I don’t know how this could happen, but I do.”
“How is that?”
“It’s fear. Pure, true, fear. Fear of what’s different and unknown.”
“Yeah.”
My Uber driver was German.
“What do you think happens now?” I ask.
“Hopefully, four years of nothing. But we won’t be sure until he steps into the White House.”
“Yeah.”
More silence.
My Uber driver was German.
We sit for a few minutes. Perhaps thinking about what could have been different, maybe about what we do in the future.
“The roads sure are empty tonight.”
“Yeah.”
My Uber driver was German. And he’s worried that we’ve all made the mistake that his grandfather did 80 years ago.
Josh is a 17-year old at North Springs Charter High School who wrote about how a chance ride provides context, worry and questioning regarding the future of our country.
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