$$$

So I'm on my Midwestern walkabout.  I blow into Chicago O'Hare late at night without a worry in the world because they have a shuttle and I was on the ball!  I called earlier in the day to verify that they had a shuttle.  I didn't want to take a room at the airport if they didn't have a shuttle because that's the whole idea of staying at the airport.  One doesn't choose an airport hotel for the ambiance.

"Hello," I said, quite reasonably.  "I'm at baggage claim and I'd like to arrange for the shuttle to pick me up."

"No shuttle tonight," the guy replies.

"But I called earlier and was told that there was a shuttle," I said, again quite reasonably.

"Take a taxi," the guys says.  "We'll pay for it."

One of my big things over the years has been to worry about getting screwed by taxi drivers, especially when I'm in traveling in a foreign country, and trust me on this - engaging a taxi driver in any major city is pretty close to traveling in a foreign country.  The fact that I've never been screwed in a foreign country - ever - hasn't lessened this fear much.  This guy was pretty nice.  He drove me to my hotel in about 10 minutes.  The meter said $12.50.  What did I care, right?  

"$14," he said.

I laughed inwardly.  I didn't ask about the price discrepancy.

I gave him a twenty dollar bill.  He fumbled around in his wallet for a bit before giving me three ones.  He looked at me expectantly.  I laughed inwardly some more.  I have gained the ability to distance any negative thinking that I may have from what is actually going on in the world, and sometimes I'm able to apply this to real world situations.  I didn't point out this blatant theft and exited the cab cheerfully, even tipping him a couple of bucks. 

Inside I encountered The Desk Clerk at the Hilton.

"Name," he said without looking up.  He took the information and worked on the computer for a bit before handing me a key.

"Here's the receipt for the cab," I said.

He peered at the slip of paper.

"What's this?" he asked, pointing at my $3 tip.

He gave me three fives and a one.

"We don't pay for tips," he said.

Screwed twice in the first 15 minutes in the city.  Yee Hee.