In an unusual turn of events, an Uber trip from Enmore to Surry Hills last Saturday passed without any of the passengers enquiring as to the frequency of work experienced that evening by their driver.
“Adi and I knew that if we got in the front, we’d be the ones who had to maintain the conversation,” said Steven, one of the passengers of the vehicle. “Because of that, we manoeuvred ourselves so Henry was the one closest to the passenger seat, and seeing as he usually loves having an awkward yarn, we thought it was sorted.”
To their disbelief, Henry refused to initiate idle chit-chat. Instead, the occupants of the 2012 Toyota Camry sat listening to Nova FM for the entire 20-minute journey. The Uber driver, Samuel, was also baffled by the situation.
“It was a shock to say the least. Initially, I thought maybe he was quiet because he was hammered and about to puke but when I looked over he was just staring straight ahead,” Samuel said. “Two minutes passed. Then five. Then I realised he wasn’t going to ask me.”
The Garter spoke to Henry following the incident.
“I just couldn’t do it. I was too traumatised after last time,” Henry said, referring to a 25-minute Uber he took alone on the previous Wednesday. “We both knew we didn’t want to keep the conversation going. But I just couldn’t stop asking the guy about his day. He wanted me to stop. I knew he wanted me to stop. But… I couldn’t.”
Adi, the third passenger, said that he was actually glad Henry hadn’t initiated conversation.
“The driver was indicating maybe once for every three lane changes. I wouldn’t have wanted him to also be distracted by Henry’s pointless questions about how Saturdays compare to Fridays and how long he’s been with Uber.”
Over the rest of Saturday evening, Samuel was asked about his night 14 times.
Multiple sources have confirmed that he replied, “Yeah, pretty busy. Saturday nights are usually busy. Everyone going out. Do you guys want some bottled water?”
