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The Taxi Driver
[Monologue]
Translated from Romanian by Raluca Albu
Almost
everything
I’m
wearing belonged to a
dead person. See this hat?
I received it from a captain
who got lost at sea. The
boots on my feet were my
brother’s. He was wearing
them when he died. A
motorcycle accident. What
was I supposed to do, throw
them away? They’re made
of antelope skin, and they’ve
held up for 17 years. Yeah,
they used to make boots
that lasted a lifetime. These
have lasted two lifetimes.
My brother’s and mine. Not
like that canvas junk they use
todays that falls apart after a
few days.
This wristwatch belonged
to Jim Morrison, who is also
dead. Really, it did! It’s the
original, I’m not kidding. It
was purchased at an auction
and I have the certificate of
authenticity, stamped by the
Americans. Some guy left the
watch instead of money he
owedme. He nevermanaged
to pay me back, so I kept it.
It’s a real piece of junk, not
brand name or anything
like that. It doesn’t even
work anymore. It’s valuable
because it belonged to Jim
Morrison. I bet it’s worth at
least ten of those fancy Swiss
watches (and their owners
too!).
Even in my car, I have things
from dead people. I have
CD recordings of that music
made by those black people
from the streets. Not rap,
not hip-hop, it’s the kind