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Beca slid into the back of the car and glanced up at the driver in the mirror. The registration of the car matched the one that she had displayed on the phone in her hand, so she closed the door. The driver was a skinny man maybe a good fifteen years older than she was. He didn't seem to be one of those uber drivers who was pulling every gimmick under the sun to get a good rating.
"Good evening," he said politely. "I'm Ezekiel."
"Beca," she said. He navigated out into the traffic.
"So what takes you into the city tonight?" he asked.
"Work," she replied. "I uh - DJ. And it's easier to grab an uber than drive." She didn't seem forthcoming with any other detail, so Ezekiel only asked her one more question.
"Would you mind if I put the radio on?"
"Long as it's not country, sure," Beca said. "That's not a problem." She sank back into the seat and Ezekiel fiddled with the controls, settling on a station that played songs from the sixties and seventies. They drove in relative silence after that. Occasionally Ezekiel looked up into the mirror and saw his passenger either nodding her head or softly singing along. As they neared the club, Beca cleared her throat.
"Thanks for the ride," she said. "I get that I'm not chatty. But I appreciate you not trying to make me talk. Some of your fellow uber drivers were not so comfortable with the silence."
"Well I drive around here every Friday and Saturday," he said, pulling up in front. "Maybe I'll see you again."
"Yeah maybe," she said. "Thanks." She slid out and disappeared inside, the bouncer nodding at her on the way in. He pulled away from the building and back into traffic, forgetting about his passenger.
He remembered her soon enough, though, because shortly after two am her name popped up as being nearby and requesting a car. He accepted it and headed back toward the club. It wouldn't be the first time he picked he same passenger on a return trip - he liked driving from the center of town to the outskirts and back for a full shift. It was the easiest way to make money. He pulled up at the club, and a much more outgoing Beca slid in.
"Ezekiel!" she said. "We meet again."
"We do," he said, noting that she was a little drunk. A girl tried to slide in next to Beca but she shoved her out and slammed the door. Ezekiel took off into traffic.
"God," she said. "Girl can't take no for an answer. Like I want that anywhere in my house, let alone my bed."
"She wanted to come home with you?" he asked.
"Yeah," Beca said, winding the window down a little. She didn't seem drunk enough that she was going to puke in his car, but evidently the alcohol had loosened her tongue somewhat. "It's not, like, out of the ordinary for some girl to try to get me to take her home. They dig the DJ thing I guess."
"And you are not interested?" he asked.
"I have a girlfriend," Beca said. "A beautiful, intelligent, incredible girlfriend. But they don't seem to understand that just because she's not out doesn't mean she isn't real."
"She doesn't like clubs?"
"She's in her last semester of law school," Beca said. "Since I'm working, she spends the time studying and going to bed at a respectable time. She says if she studies when I'm at work, she has more time free to be with me. And I like that a lot."
He was somewhat amused at how open the girl seemed to become now that she was a little inebriated.
"No girl in any of those clubs hold a candle to my Bree," she said firmly. She was flicking through pictures on her phone and found one, leaning forward to show it to him.
"See?" she said. "She's beautiful."
"She is very beautiful," he agreed. It wasn't a lie. Even though he was a happily married man, he could admit that the blonde in the picture was indeed beautiful. "How long have you been together?"
"About two and a half years," Beca said. "And it feels pretty solid, you know? Like I'm gonna marry her, if I can ever manage to ask the question."
"What's stopping you?"
"I'm not real good at explaining myself," Beca said. "And I need for her to know all the ways she makes me better before I ask her. And I worry. About her family and kinda what my dad will say when he realises how much I actually love her."
"He doesn't know?"
"Ezekiel, my friend, I'm what many would call emotionally stunted," Beca said. Her was surprised. She didn't seem that way to him. That final statement lulled her into a pensive state for the remainder of the ride.
"Thanks again," Beca said as they neared her apartment building.
"My pleasure," he replied.
"I don't know what the repeat customer rules are with the whole uber thing," she said, "but if you find yourself in the area the same time Fridays and Saturdays I might see you again."
"I can find myself in the area," he said.
"Rad." She got out and headed inside with a blissful little smile on her face.
He made sure he was around that neighborhood the following week and sure enough, he caught up with the DJ both nights. It was a curious pattern. She'd get into the car of a night time and offer only a little polite talk on the way into the city. On the way back she'd be much more talkative, the alcohol loosening her tightly guarded nature somewhat.
She'd turned the tables on him as well. She was curious why he drove for uber, and he explained that he worked in administration for a construction business but he was putting the uber money aside for his kids college fund. The eldest was sixteen but he wanted to make sure his kids got the opportunity to attend college if that was what they wanted.
And that pattern continued for a few months. He didn't always manage to snag her fare, but around two thirds of the time he was in the right area when the notification came through. Over the months he heard that Bree - or Aubrey as was apparently her actual name - had graduated number one in her class at Columbia Law. He heard about her passing the bar exam, and the subsequent holiday Beca surprised her with.
He liked those return trips. A lot of the time drunken passengers rambled on and on about any kind of nonsense. Beca rambled, but she only ever rambled about Aubrey. It was easy to see how much she adored her partner.
He met the infamous Aubrey eventually. With the bar exam gone and a little time up her sleeve, Beca's partner had decided to tag along to the club one night. He'd missed their ride in, but picked them up on the way back.
"Hey, Ezekiel," Beca said in an easy drawl after she'd ushered Aubrey into the car first. "How's your night been?"
"Pretty good," he said. "And you, Beca?"
"Great," she said. "This is Aubrey, my girlfriend. Bree, this is Ezekiel, the uber driver I told you about."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Aubrey," Ezekiel said. "Beca speaks of you often."
"Likewise," Aubrey replied. "Beca has mentioned that of all the uber drivers she's had, you're her favourite."
"She's a good passenger also," he replied. "Congratulations on passing the bar exam, by the way. That's quite an accomplishment."
"Thank you," she said. The blonde leaned back and took Beca's hand in her own, pressing some soft kisses to her fingers. They fell into quiet, private chatter, Ezekiel happy to drive quietly. When they got to the girls apartment building, they thanked him sincerely and went inside.
The next week he missed Beca's travel all together, so it was another week until he saw her again. She happily slid into his car for the journey home, asking how the kids were before settling back.
"And what about you, Beca?" he asked.
"I've got a secret," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "But if I tell you, it's not like you can tell anyone else, so."
"What's your secret?" he asked.
"Well I wasn't around last weekend," Beca said. "Aubrey was at some orientation retreat for work. So I went to see our friend Chloe and she helped me pick out an engagement ring. I'm going to ask Aubrey to marry me."
"So you managed to tell her all of the things you couldn't get out before?" he asked.
"I called her dad," she said, briefly changing the topic. "He doesn't like me. Never has. I'm a girl, for one. A musician, second. And third, well... Let's just say the tattoos and piercings don't exactly endear me to him."
"So what happened?"
"I know it's traditional to ask a father for his daughters hand," she said. "But I more just wanted him to know that despite him and his family, I love her and I will have her best interest at heart, and do everything I can to make sure that every day she and I are together is a day that she doesn't go without happiness and love and security."
"Those are all things any man would wish for his children."
"Not Mr P," she said. "He yelled. A lot. And I hung up. Normally that man makes me quake. But I just know, Ezekiel. I know I make her happy. I know I'm the one that loves her most. I know I'm the one that she loves. And even if I'm not even a tenth of the eloquent speaker that Bree is, there isn't much more that needs to be said than that."
"There isn't," he agreed. "Congratulations. When?"
"Tomorrow," Beca said.
"Well that is great news," he said. "I look forward to hearing all about it." A grin suddenly broke out on Beca's face.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said. "Okay. Well, the song playing on your radio right now?"
"This song right now?"
"Yep. I wrote it. Well, part of it," she said. "It's the first one that's made it to radio. Still takes me by surprise when I hear it."
"That's very impressive," he said. "Pretty soon you'll have a limo driver and no need for me."
"I'm not that famous," she said. "Yet." He dropped her off with a wave and she headed inside.
The following week he heard all about the proposal and Aubrey's acceptance. He was happy for her. They were friends, in his opinion now. She still was more reserved without the alcohol but definitely more open than when he first met her. He shared in her happiness when more of her songs started making it to radio, and conversed with Beca (and Aubrey twice) about wedding plans as the weeks passed.
Then he went for about three weeks without seeing the petite little brunette at all. It felt a little odd to worry, but the fourth week he definitely felt relieved when her notification popped up on his screen, only there was a different destination listed. He pulled up to the apartment and Beca slid in.
"Hey," she said. "Miss me?"
"A little, yes," he admitted. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Uh, we're moving," Beca said softly. "To LA. I just wanted to make sure I saw you before I left."
"Well that's very considerate," he said. "What's in LA?"
"I got a really great job writing songs for some super famous pop star types," Beca said. "Aubrey's firm agreed to transfer her to the LA office. We don't even have anything in the apartment any more. I'm staying tonight at our friend Stacie's. Bree is already there."
"Well, Beca," he said. "It has been my pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise," she said. "If we're ever back in New York I might visit the club and request an uber just to say hello."
"I hope you do." The ride was short. Just before they pulled up, Beca tugged something out of her pocket. He spotted Aubrey waiting in front of a building.
"So I have something for you," she said. "For your kids anyway." She handed him an envelope and he opened it, immediately choked with emotion. It was a check for ten thousand dollars.
"No, I can't," he said. "Beca, this is very generous. But no."
"No, dude, take it," she said. "You're a pretty stand up guy, Ezekiel. I've talked and shared more with you than I have with my own dad. You're pretty good at being a sounding board. And you give good advice too. And you're obviously a good dad, you know? Driving uber to make sure they can go to college. So this should help with that."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Totally sure," she said. "Thank you, Ezekiel."
"I can sense that you are not a hugging kind of person," he said, tears still in his eyes. "But I would very much like to shake your hand instead, if you are okay with that." Beca offered her hand to him and he shook it firmly.
"I'll see you around maybe," she said.
"Maybe," he said. "Thank you, Beca." She nodded and got out of the cab, making her way to the blonde, who waved. He drove away with his heart full.
It wasn't even a year later that Ezekiel saw Beca on TV winning a Grammy. He smiled, and thought that it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more generous person.