Stood by the roadside I spotted a yellow blob on the horizon, and realising it was a taxi, I stepped forward to wave it over. At first I didn`t think it was going to stop (taxi drivers in these parts are never the most observant...) but at the last moment the car swerved over, nearly knocking down a couple of school kids walking out from the nearby shop. As the car screeched to a halt, the driver called over to me "Hey get in, I haven`t got all day!". Not the usual manner I expected from a driver, but at with the meeting mere minutes away, I had little choice.

I pulled open the door, but before I could even sit myself down, the driver pulled away and began accelerating down the street. I was hurled into the back of my seat, pinned to the cushions as if we were taking part in a shuttle launch. I tried to gather my belongings to my side so they didn`t fall from the car. Being a convertible, I really didn`t feel safe. I shouted to the driver "Hey you`re going the wrong way" realising I hadn`t even told him which direction we were meant to be going anyway.

Instructing him to take me to the cafe, we began shooting down the main hill in the city. It was turning into quite an exciting ride, so I decided to just hang on for dear life and hope that we made it to the cafe in one piece. I managed a quick glance at my watch and saw that I had a minute to reach the cafe, though at the speed this driver was moving, it seemed we would either die, or make it with time to spare.

I peered between the two front seats and out the front wind screen and immediately regretted it. We were going at nearly 90mph down a heavily populated street, directly towards an oncoming lorry. I wanted to jump out, but knew I couldn`t, so I just sat tight and hoped the driver could get out of this. At the very last moment, he swerved away from the lorry, and scraped between two other cars on the nearside of the road. His judgement was near perfect... though the paintwork may disagree.

I looked ahead again after gathering myself together, and saw the cafe approaching fast. Thank God I thought! Perhaps I would make it after all. Erm... hang on, we're going to make it... but are we going to stop? I closed my eyes thinking "This is it, I`m going to die". How on earth was he going to stop before colliding with the cafe?

I felt a sharp pain as the seat belt tightened around my shoulders. I couldn`t even remember putting it on, but was thankful that I had. As the pain subsided I decided to open my eyes again. To my complete surprise, we were mere inches from the cafe! How the driver had stopped I did not know, but juding by the angle (we were now facing the opposite way) I suspected the hand brake had played a part.

Collecting my thoughts once more, I staggered out of the car, handing a large wadge of cash to the driver. He had got me here on time, if by the skin of our teeth, and I was thankful for it. I headed towards the cafe, and with quite a story to tell.