Waddon Wonder
"Airport taxi driver Nneka knows every route from Waddon to Gatwick. When stranded traveler Marcus needs a ride, she shows him the scenic route includes some very personal stops."
The cancelled flight meant a hotel near Gatwick. The dead phone meant no Uber. Nneka's taxi appeared like providence.
She was Nigerian-British, thick curves comfortable in her driver's seat, eyes that assessed him through the mirror.
"Airport hotel? That's depressing. Let me show you something better."
"I just need to sleep."
"You need to live. Big difference." She pulled away from the curb. "Trust me for one night. I promise it's worth it."
She drove through the night, showing him London from angles he'd never seen. Hidden views, secret spots, places only locals knew.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because you looked like someone who forgot what living feels like." She pulled into a layby overlooking the city. "When's the last time you just... stopped?"
"I don't remember."
"Then let's make a new memory."
She climbed into the back seat with him, her thick body confident in the cramped space.
"This is very irregular," he managed.
"Best things usually are." She kissed him. "Let me show you irregular."
They made love in the back of her taxi, parked above sleeping London. Her thick body moved against his in the confined space, making limitations feel like invitation.
"Yes... there... forget your flight... forget everything..."
She came with her hand against the fogged window, and he followed, both of them breathing hard in the steamy car.
"The hotel," she said eventually, starting the engine. "Or..."
"Or?"
"My flat's in Waddon. Proper bed. Proper breakfast. Proper send-off when you finally have to go."
"I thought taxis weren't supposed to take passengers home."
"I'm not taking a passenger home." She smiled in the mirror. "I'm taking someone I want to know better."
His Waddon wonder had started with a cancelled flight. It ended somewhere much better than any destination.