Memory Lane: "Stinks like cheese in here" and other stories as a private chauffeur

Let me carry my suitcase, sir!

I'm getting hot under the collar.

But it's not my lucky day.

«Boys.»

In my rush to get him to the airport, I pull sharply out of the hotel driveway.

He can't hold his tongue anymore.

Besides, I have to turn left.

Calm and collected

I don't say a word and continue to stare straight ahead.

The light turns green and I put it on.

I had countless adventures taking one minister and my boss to a reunion and then waiting for them as they had to go to another meeting.

Better late than never

Life as a chauffeur isn't always easy, especially when you're struggling against the clock and your passengers have no idea how long it will take to get from point A to point B in a big, congested city.

Would it kill you to give me a better extended warning?

I run to my car and as I leave the park, I find a turn where I don't have to go to the corner.

Government plans

I get to the ferry route.

The helper gets the timing wrong and I arrive next to the tarmac as the airplane is in its final leg.

A couple years later, I took on another director of agriculture;

Excuse me. Cheese, please.

The director's visit coincided with a huge agricultural fair being held in town, and his department had a booth displaying cheeses from different regions of his state.

He went back to the hotel because I was busy traveling to his family.

«Well, sir, I'll explain it to him.

Fido's bite

Another time I had to drive the consul of Peru.

«No.

«Oh, okay," I thought.

His request to register his dogs was denied.

Close calls and juicy gossip

I've never experienced a close call, randomly, except once when I was making a turn.

You hear juicy tidbits as a chauffeur, but it's not as glamorous unless you work for a wealthy patron who pays you.

Being a chauffeur was fun as I enjoyed driving and knew the city by heart.

Michael Bellamy is the author of our Memory Lane series, a collection of works that explore unique relationships with cars.