One aspect of being a chauffeur is that you run into a lot of different people. Every day, I meet someone I’ve never met before. Most days, I meet a person I have driven before, and it feels like seeing a familiar friend.
A few times I’ve actually had a “reunion” with someone from my previous life, in school or my previous career in medical communications. Here are a few examples of reunions I have had in the past.
Childhood Chum
One day I picked up a passenger with a name I recognized from my childhood. When I met him, I didn’t think it was my childhood friend because he was totally bald and didn’t look like him, or how I remembered him anyway.
As we left Newark Airport and were driving to his destination, I casually mentioned his name and explained how I had a friend with that name many years ago. He said, “That’s me!” We had a nice chat about our days from elementary school through high school. Seeing him again was really enjoyable for me.
Professional Partner
In mid-September this year, I picked up a senior executive from a pharmaceutical company at a hotel near the Tappan Zee Bridge and drove her home to southern New Jersey.
I immediately recognized her name, since it is an uncommon one. I thought it could be someone else, because her name could be a man or a woman, but I hoped it was her.
When I met her outside me vehicle, I recognized her right away. I introduced myself and asked her if she remembered me. She said she did. We talked about other former colleagues and where they landed. This one-hour drive to her home was a nice reunion time.
She was in “regulatory” and I was a product manager for the same pharmaceutical company. She was my professional partner, helping me navigate the choppy waters of the FDA.
Frequent Flyer
I have driven a woman who I worked with in a previous life when I was a product manager. Then, she was the Assistant to the President. Now she is the Communications Director for a large international pharmaceutical company.
She requests me whenever she travels. She is a frequent flyer. We had a good working relationship then and we continue to have pleasant, professional dialogue whenever we see each other.
From Trainee to Customer
One of my “regulars” is a woman who I worked with – and actually trained – at Royal Coachman many years ago. She only wants me to be her chauffeur… nobody else.
I drive her and her husband into Manhattan about once a month. They have become good friends of mine.
Old Friend / New Career
I changed my career from medical communications to executive chauffeur when an old friend from a pharmaceutical company brought me to Royal Coachman, which was the chauffeur service the pharmaceutical company used.
We both started at Royal Coachman on the same day – 10/29/2013 – and I’m still happily here.
My friend jumped back into the medical marketing profession. We have remained good friends and chat regularly by text or phone, checking on our respective progress.
The moral of this Street Story is: Don’t burn your bridges with friends or colleagues. Personal and professional relationships are special. Be your best with everyone you meet and you may be able to enjoy some “Reunion Time” with people you have worked with or known in the past.
