A PROUD PASSENGER LAUGHED AT THE SLOW DRIVING OF AN OLD TAXI DRIVER, BUT WHEN THEY WERE CHASED BY ARMED KIDNAPPERS, THE OLD MAN SHOWED HIS TRUE HUSBAND

It was eleven o’clock at night along C-5 Road. The road was rainy and slippery. Sir Derrick, a 30-year-old hedge fund manager accustomed to a luxurious life, was riding in an old Toyota Corolla taxi. His Porsche was in the workshop so he was forced to take a taxi home to his mansion in Rizal.

The driver was Mang Ruben, 65 years old, his hair was already white, and his hand was still shaking as he held the steering wheel. They were driving slowly—only 40 kph even though the road was wide open.

“Manong! What?! Can you speed up?” Derrick shouted irritably while looking at his gold Rolex. “How slow! We’re like turtles! If I only knew that the car and driver were this Jurassic, I would have just taken a Grab!”

“Sorry, Sir. The road is slippery. Let’s put safety first,” Mang Ruben replied calmly, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Safety first, you! Look at your dashboard, it’s full of dust! The engine is so noisy! We might just suddenly stop later. I’m wasting my time with you!” the passenger added.

Mang Ruben didn’t say anything. He just tightened his grip on the gearshift.

As they turned into the dark part of Ortigas Extension, a black Toyota Fortuner suddenly blocked their path. The door opened and three men wearing bonnets and holding M16 rifles got out.

“DOWN! DOWN, YOU TWO!” the armed men shouted.

Derrick turned pale. “H-holdap ‘to! Manong, open the door! Let’s give you my wallet!”

But instead of complying, Mang Ruben quickly locked the door.

“Don’t come down,” the old man whispered. His voice suddenly changed—from the raspy voice of a grandfather, it became hard and full.

“What?! They’re going to kill us! Open it!” Derrick shouted hysterically.

In an instant, Mang Ruben shifted into Reverse.

VROOOM!

The old taxi engine roared. It was not the sound of an ordinary car. It was the sound of a modified engine that had been sleeping for a long time.

Mang Ruben backed the taxi quickly, dodging the bullets that hit the hood. Then, he executed a J-turn (a stunt maneuver where the vehicle rotates 180 degrees while reversing) very cleanly.

They were now facing the opposite direction.

“Come closer,” Mang Ruben ordered.

He urged the taxi to accelerate. A black Fortuner chased them.

“Manong! Their car is faster! We’re going to die!” Derrick cried in the backseat.

“In a straight line, yes. But on the curve… let’s see,” Mang Ruben replied while his eyes were focused. His hand was no longer shaking. Every turn of the steering wheel was polished and calculated.

They entered the zigzag road heading towards Antipolo. This is where the show began.

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story

The black SUV struggled through the sharp curves. It almost fell off the cliff several times because of the speed. But Mang Ruben’s old taxi? It danced on the road.

Drift. Counter-steer. Downshift. Gas.

The car seemed to have become an extension of Mang Ruben’s body. At each curve, he slid the back of the taxi precisely to make the turn without slowing down. This is called Perfect Drift.

Derrick felt dizzy in the back. He couldn’t believe it. The old man he had called a “turtle” earlier was now driving like he was in an action movie.

“Who are you?!” Derrick shouted as he held on to the handlebars.

Mang Ruben didn’t answer. He saw in the rearview mirror that the SUV was sticking out again. It hit the back of the taxi.

BLAG!

“It’s a sturdy chassis, son. Don’t worry,” said Mang Ruben.

At the last hairpin turn before the police station, Mang Ruben did his signature move. He turned off the taxi’s lights so that he would disappear from the enemy’s sight in the dark. He suddenly swerved to the right, entering a tight shortcut of dirt and rocks.

Because the enemy didn’t see the turn, the SUV went straight and crashed into the road barrier. The front of the kidnappers’ vehicle was destroyed.

The taxi stopped in front of the precinct. Mang Ruben got out, calm, as if he had just come from church.

“Sir, we’re here. You’re safe,” Mang Ruben said to Derrick, who was shaking and barely able to move in shock.

The police came out when they saw the wrecked SUV in the distance and the taxi with its tires smoking.

The Chief of Police approached. He saw Mang Ruben.

“Sir Ruben?!” the chief greeted in surprise. He immediately saluted. “Is that you? I thought you were abroad!”

Derrick got out, his knees still shaking. “Chief… do you know my driver?”

The chief laughed. “Sir, don’t you know who drove you? He’s Ruben ‘The Drift King’ Cortez. He was the First Filipino Champion in the Asian Rally Cross in the 70s and 80s. He was the one who taught the elite drivers of the PNP Highway Patrol Group. He’s a legend on the road!”

Derrick’s eyes widened. The old man he had scolded for his old car and slow speed was actually a living legend of Philippine Motorsports.

Derrick looked at the old taxi. Only now did he notice the modifications underneath—the roll cage, the suspension, and the engine that was clearly tuned for racing. The “slow” earlier was Mang Ruben’s intention because he respected the speed limit and passenger safety.

Derrick approached Mang Ruben, embarrassed.

“Manong… Sir Ruben… Sorry. I was so arrogant earlier. If it weren’t for you, I might be dead or kidnapped,” Derrick said, tears streaming down his face. He reached for his wallet full of money. “Here, all my cash. This is not enough for what you did.”

Mang Ruben just looked at the money and smiled. He just took the correct meter fare.

“Son, taxi fares are based on the meter. Saving lives is free. It’s my job to get you safely,” said Mang Ruben, handing back the extra money.

“But remember this,” the old man added as he wiped his windshield. “Whether on the road or in life, just because a car is old doesn’t mean its engine is weak. And just because it’s slow doesn’t mean it can’t accelerate when needed. A true driver knows when to hurry and when to be careful.”

Mang Ruben got back into his taxi. He drove it slowly, back to 40 kph, and disappeared into the darkness of the night—a silent hero pretending to be an ordinary driver, ready to rescue a passenger at the next curve of life.