Rideshare Tales

By Lolita Iglus

Sunshine can never predict, with any degree of certainty, what will happen next. Each trip is an unpredictable script. This story shares love and losses, triumphs and tragedies, hopes and survival of each rider at that moment in time.

A drama that usually plays out vividly before the trip is over.

In this witty, dramatic series of events, Sunshine learns things about her passengers that she doesn't expect to hear, but she is also faced with some harsh truths about her own relationship with her boyfriend, Malik.

Will they survive?

This is Sunshine's story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Mar 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798379276461

Book preview

CHAPTER 1: THE WISE MAN

I didn’t have a reason to suspect my man of cheating… until my cousin’s friend, Jasmine called me, and said that she had seen him out with another woman at a strip club. Even after that, it was still hard for me to believe. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t put anything past anybody. It was just hard for me to believe that he was cheating because… where would he find the time?

Outside of work and the gym, he’s home all the damn time. He wasn’t the type to hang out. We woke up, we prayed together, showered together, we even ate breakfast on the days we had time. Sometimes I wanted him to leave before me because I love to watch him walk to the car when he was dressed for work.

Our daily routine was pretty much the same. We had the type of relationship that most people would love to have, at least that’s what I thought. Things weren’t always picture perfect. When we first got to-

gether, I was working in the accounting department of one of the largest firms in the country. Malik was at his job for about 5 years when we met. He didn’t have a car at the time because his driver’s license had been suspended for years. I never knew where he lived so I would always joke and call him homeless. I later found out he was living at his grandmother’s house, sharing a room with his uncle. I should’ve seen the signs from the beginning, but I was blind.

Oh, he was very charming. Malik had a way with words, and the most beautiful smile you’d ever see. His body was tight from years of training at the gym, and mmmmm that six-pack stomach of his looked like it was handmade by God. And when he walked in a room, his presence commanded attention.

It didn’t take long before he moved into my home; I held us down financially. I paid all of the bills. When we went out, I footed the bill. Anything he needed, I gave to him without question. It wasn’t long before he was able to get his driver’s license and buy himself a car. I couldn’t have been more happy and proud of him. I’m sure a lot of people were saying I was stupid for doing these things for him, but I saw it as investing in my man. I wanted to see us win.

He promised that once he got it together he was

going to help out more, and he did hold up his end of the bargain. He started working at a new up-and-coming company downtown. After a few short months, he was able to work his way up to a supervisor position.

It felt good that he was finally able to contribute to the household financially. He even started paying when we would go out, which was only a couple times a month; because I love to cook and cater to my man.

Our future seemed so bright, and everything seemed to be going so well for us, but I still couldn’t shake what my cousin’s friend told me. What would she have to gain from lying about it? I asked her if she was sure it was him, and she said she was absolutely sure.

My curiosity got the best of me. I’m not one to snoop until I have a reason. I started paying more attention to what he posted on social media, and as soon as I started doing that, there were red flags that began hitting me in the face. There was this girl that would like everything my man would post.

It seemed like she would get a notification every time he posted or something. She would either heart his status, or put heart-eye emojis under his pictures that he posted. One day he posted a quote, and she commented, ‘This is why you’re my man crush everyday’ with blue hearts. That was only one of many seeming to

be competing for his attention.

I tried to convince myself that it was nothing, but woman’s intuition told me that I knew better. That night, I decided to search through his phone while he was in the shower. I wasn’t ready for what I saw… but my intuition was right. He was fooling around with the woman that was commenting, plus about five other women!

The thought of him with all of those other women made me sick to my stomach. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. As soon as he stepped into my line of fire, I threw his cell phone at him as hard as I could. He ducked and the phone slammed against the wall.

He wore a look of confusion. What’s going on, bae? he asked, as he picked up the pieces of his phone.

As the tears flowed down my face I said, H-How could you do this to me? ...Us? How could you do this to us?

I felt like someone just ripped my heart from my chest. He was my best friend, or so I thought. Someone who truly loved you couldn’t do this!

He glanced at his phone and then back at me, You went through my phone?!

I folded my arms, tilted my head to the side and

shouted, I surely fucking did! And I saw it all you fucking cheater!

Malik let out a deep sigh, We both violated each other’s trust… We need help, he said.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I raised an eyebrow asking, Both? YOU’RE the one who’s cheating with multiple women!

YOU violated my trust when you went through my phone, Malik said, shaking his head.

I stood there, and paused for a minute and said to myself, ‘Calm down, Sunshine this man is crazy.’ The only words that could come out were, I’m done. I couldn’t bring myself to say another word after that. I just turned and