With a new job in the middle of nowhere-Brooklyn comes a new necessary mode of transportation. In this case, that mode of transport would be in the form of daily Ubers. (Because I refuse to take a train to a bus to then walk half a mile to get to work and because my work loves me enough to compensate me for my high maintenance demands).
For those of you who don't know what Uber is, you either live in the suburbs where everyone needs their own car to survive or you live in a 3rd World Country.
But for those of us living within the 5 Boroughs of New York City, Uber is our other half, our soulmate, our best friend.
With the push of a button he picks you up, drops you off and charges everything directly to your credit card. It's the the best for when you have no cash and your flight leaves in an hour and half or when you go for a run without your wallet and then realize you're too lazy to walk home.
Once your Uber is requested, you are assigned a car within a few seconds. And I, like most eager people, watch the little car icon as it drives through the map approaching your pick up location.
You even get a head-shot photo of your driver (so there are no surprises) and the type of car that awaits you.
So then on a random Tuesday at 5pm I went through my usual routine and called for my Uber chauffeur. I glanced over at the soon-arriving vehicle, read that it would be a Toyota Rav-4 and I continued finishing up my work before he would arrive.
As I walked out of the office, I approached the Rav-4 parked right outside. Something felt a little weird about the pick up so as I opened the back door I asked the confused looking driver if he was in fact my Uber. But nope. He wasn't. He was just a confused gentleman who should've been way more alarmed by the fact that a strange female was entering his vehicle.
Turns out my actual non-kidnapper Uber ride was the Rav-4 across the street. He also had a difficult time concealing his smirk as he most likely recalled watching me as I walked into the wrong car before realizing my error. He didn't think that maybe he should have called or sent a warning text like "Hey Maam, That's not your Uber. The car you are entering may actually kidnap you and leave you in a field instead of delivering you to your destination safely."
But no. There was no call or text of that sort. He just watched in amusement as he witnessed a potential kidnapping of an innocent Uber rider.
This is how people get kidnapped in 2015. By willingly walking into vehicles they think are their Ubers. Bribing with candy is so 2010.
