That tall, strong, black-faced man quickly left the airport after Lilly got into the cab and left.
The illegal cabbie watched as that cab drove away. He cursed, "What an annoying kid! You are the one who will bump into the ghost! So is your whole family!"
He spat out of the window and continued to pick up more passengers.
Lilly unzipped her small shoulder bag inside the cab and pulled out a sizable wallet. There were several gift bags in the wallet.
Zachary had been attempting to reconnect to the internet for some time but was having no luck. He frustratedly tucked his phone away. Then he saw Lilly counting the gift bags. He was somewhat speechless, and he said, "What era is it? Are people still using cash today?"
Lilly was quite shocked, and she asked, "Zac, don't you use money?"
Zachary impatiently replied, "I mean, nowadays everyone pays online; people rarely use cash."
Lilly shook her head and said, "I don't like online payments. I like spending actual money. I can precisely see how much is left by doing this."
I feel heartbroken when my wallet gets lighter, which discourages me from making reckless purchases. I'll be able to save a lot of money and keep getting richer.
Zachary sneered dismissively. He picked up a gift bag and looked at it disdainfully, saying, "You didn't have to keep the gift bag intact, did you?"
No one would put a gift bag in their wallet, even if they paid with cash.
Lilly was staring intently at the gift bag Zachary was holding. She said, "Zac, you don't understand. The money inside the gift bag can multiply. This way, I'll have more money in the long run!"
Zachary scoffed, "Superstitious beliefs!"
Lilly extended her hand and took the gift bag back, saying, "I’m speechless. You just don't get it!"
Zachary was not in the mood to argue with her. He just remained silent. Lilly leaned between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. She did not let her gaze leave the meter. It showed 89, and then it quickly jumped to 96.
The cab driver announced, "We're here."
Lilly wrinkled her face in distress. She was devastated to see the price rise from 89 to 96 dollars, even though the car had only moved a short distance. It cost her an additional seven dollars. She could have walked the short distance.
Lilly looked at the gift bag in her hand. She asked reluctantly, "Mister, can you reverse the car a little bit?"
The driver asked in confusion, "Huh? Did I drive too far? I can't reverse or I'll get fined."
This cab did not belong to him. It was fine if his own car got fined, but he did not want it to happen to the actual cab driver.
Lilly shook her head and said, "No, but I don't have enough money; 89 dollars is just nice."
The cab driver replied, "Sweetie, reversing also carries a fee."
"Huh?" Lilly asked in confusion.
Why does it require an additional fee when reversed? This meter isn't fair!
When the cabbie saw how young and adorable she was, his heart melted, and he said, "Okay, let's make it 85 bucks."
Lilly's eyes lit up in delight, and she said, "Thank you, Mister!"
After saying that, she took a 100-dollar bill out of the gift bag.
The cabbie twitched his mouth and asked, "Didn't you say you don’t have the money?"
Lilly felt a bit embarrassed. She whispered, "Daddy said, a penny saved is a penny gain."
The driver looked skeptical. Would someone like Chief MacNeil say such a thing?
When Blake noticed this, he too twitched the corner of his mouth. He protested in his heart. I didn't. I never did.
The cabbie helped Lilly carry the suitcase from the car and helped her with the birdcage. He saw Zachary trailing behind, but the boy constantly wanted to reconnect to a mobile game. He turned his head and stuffed the handle of the suitcase into Zachary's hand. Then he hung the bags and the birdcage on the handle of the suitcase.
Zachary looked up and realized he had a bunch of things in his hand.He was stunned and finally realized that Lilly had carried all the luggage just now.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Anyone Dares Bully you, Call Uncles!