America in the Backseat

They sit in the back seat, each heading toward a turning point in life:

One has just lost his job. One is about to leave the country. One looks respectable, but has long been at the end of his rope.

I don’t take part in their choices. I’m only responsible for getting them to their destinations.

This is a record kept by an Uber driver.

It captures the anxiety, dignity, loneliness, and occasional kindness overlooked in these brief encounters.

What you see isn’t the America in the news. It’s the America in the back seat.