One of our cuddle regulars is a a taxi driver. He shared on our community discussion page this story about bringing what we learn at Cuddle Sanctuary into the world. I’ve included it here with his permission. I should mention that although he isn’t one of the professional cuddlers who provides private sessions with Cuddle Sanctuary, I think he considers himself a “pro” because he has a ton more experience with cuddling than the average Angelino!
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Waiting near the airport at night for the chance to get into the holding lot in case of a shortage of taxi’s, I got a call to bring a woman from the United Airlines cargo area to the 24 hour emergency health facility. As I approached the hospital, I noticed a guy standing on the corner with that searching look that indicates when someone needs a ride. As my customer was getting out, he approached and asked if I could take him to a car tow facility nearby where his car was. He also brought up that his wife just died, and he’d waited 2 hours for a taxi. Told him to get in, took down the address and was leaving when the cab he’d ordered showed up. Yelling that he’d just called the company and cancelled the trip saved me from the embarassment of stealing (I call it sniping) another cab companies trip. Something that I’ve faced before when people call two cab companies and take the cab that gets there first, making me drive over for no reason.
As we headed over to the tow yard, I answered a few of his questions, trying to keep the banter upbeat, considering what he said. The area where the tow yard was in a rather dark warehouse section near the airport, and as the address he gave me didn’t seem likely since we couldn’t see the yard, the guy went through a nervous breakdown and claimed that I was taking him on a long ride just to run up the meter, reemphasizing that he was under extreme stress because of his wife dying and everything going to sh*t, even suggesting that with my “stunt”, he should kill himself. Pulling up my smartphone Google Maps thankfully showed the address just around the corner and we pulled up to the yard, which was inside the warehouse. He thanked me, payed with his credit card on the machine in the back seat and started to cry.
I asked him if he needed a hug. His eyes kind of bugged out and he said, “No thanks.” I replied, “Its OK. I’m a professional cuddler.” Again, he declined, not being too sure. I stuck my hand through the little window in the divider and encouraged him to give me his hand. He did. I held his hand in a firm grip, and said, “It’ll be OK. He then calmed down and started asking about me being a “professional” in which I explained what Cuddle Sanctuary is and how it operates, and the benefits. He thought it sounded interesting and would look it up. Hopefully.
So, that’s it. A male version of the damsel in distress situation that comes up once in a while in my taxi career. It doesn’t come up too often, but when possible, giving Cuddle Sanctuary the best possible advertisement comes naturally.