Taxi Fare Home

Twelve-forty-three
Ginger drink untouched
He says, Don't be dramatic
I tap one button
Taxi fare home

Table fourteen under violet light
He tells the same story, edits mine
Calls my work cute, laughs at my no
I watch my face in the black phone screen
Coat-check woman catches my eye
I order a silver car, six minutes away
Leave exact cash underneath my glass
Stand before he finishes his sentence
He says, Stay ten minutes, don't be cold
I take my bag and let the lift doors close
No shattered glass, no perfect final word
Just my own two feet choosing the street

One tap, one plate
One open road
I don't need permission
To take myself home

Taxi fare home, best money I spent
Past the red lights, past the way I bent
No last argument, no begging to be known
Taxi fare home—I brought myself home

Bag, phone, plate, go
Text your girl, let her know
Taxi fare home
We get each other home

Three Fridays later, Nandi sends one word
Home?
No explanation needed after one
I call her while the app finds a driver
Keep her talking till the white car comes
She reads the plate beneath the streetlamp
Door shuts softly, taillights cross the rain
She says, I'll pay you back tomorrow
I say, Keep it—do this for the next girl
By one-fifteen her message turns blue
Inside. Shoes off. Kettle on
The fare was small, the distance wasn't
Now one quiet exit travels on

One tap, one plate
One open road
No woman leaves alone
When her people know

Taxi fare home, best money I spent
Past the red lights, past the way I bent
No last argument, no begging to be known
Taxi fare home—I brought myself home

Bag on shoulder
Ready
Read the number
Correct
Door shut softly
Safe
Text when home
We know

I used to think leaving had to sound like thunder
A slammed door, a speech nobody could forget
Sometimes freedom is a quiet elevator
A license plate, a friend who stays on the phone
That night I learned a door can close softly
And still close for good
The fare only carried me across the city
The choice brought me back to myself

Taxi fare home, best money we spent
Past the red lights, past the places we bent
No last argument, no begging to be known
Taxi fare home—we get each other home
One safe message, then the kindness travels on
Taxi fare home—we get each other home

One-sixteen, Nandi sends a picture
Tea cup, bare feet, locked front door
I fold my old receipt inside my wallet
Not for the price
For the way I chose myself
Taxi fare home