Breathe
By Ilse Oropeza
Sunday afternoon-evening, the best time to work because there is no longer so much traffic. I had two orders in progress and everything indicated that it would be a quiet shift. I was already on the road when suddenly... I got a message! It was a client from my other "job", the one that gives me the occasional gray hair: the client is in the middle of a divorce trial and asks me to take care of his case. What a challenge! At that instant, my head started to work in "lawyer mode" and I began to scheme the whole answer. Hahahaha. I had a few hours to put together the response and the agreement, so I said to myself, "Well, I'll take advantage of the time while I deliver." So far, so good... or relatively good....
I continue my route: from boulevard to Canosas street. My order was a chicken, but not just any chicken, one for eight people! 🙄 In my mind the first legal terms were already starting to appear: *Clause I, visiting regime every 15 days, according to article 4.228 of the Civil Code of the State of Mexico...* Meanwhile, I was trying to find the house in a colony that looked like a labyrinth, but everything under control. I deliver the order and continue on my way.
So, I get another order from Toks, this time a box with a bunch of breakfast dishes. Sunday night and breakfast? 🤔 Well, my thing is just to deliver it. I pick up the box, put the address in the GPS and go back to my thing. But my mind was no longer on the delivery, but on the agreement I had to write: *Clause II, guardianship and custody; it is agreed that the parent retains custody during and after the divorce proceedings...* Suddenly, the GPS alerts me that I should have arrived by now, but, of course, lost in my legal thoughts, I miss the location! And not by one street, but by four!
And of course, there was no way back and I couldn't go back the other way. Sometimes it happens to me when I think of other things: my daughters, my cats, paying the electricity, the motorcycle service or, as now, my other job. I am not afraid to do several things at the same time, rather, I am afraid that if conditions change I will have to run out of this income that I generate by sharing, which is what I use for household expenses. I work at the time I want, the days I want and an eventual reform puts my freedom at risk.
So there you see me, breakfast box in hand, walking the four blocks back. When I finally get to the door, the customer greets me with a surprised face, and I, with my breath coming in gasps, say to her:
"Here you go, your honor."
*Clause III, alimony; the obligor undertakes to provide the necessary for the maintenance of the minor, in accordance with article...*....
Because in the end, Uber is not just a job; it's a series of stories and adventures where, between orders and clients, I try to juggle my triple life as a delivery driver, lawyer and mom.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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