The Purple Patch - Missouri Valley College

Building a Legacy
by
Lindsey Simmons
“Where yoh goh’in Ma’am”
“Corner of Utopia and the Turnpike.” I climbed into the taxi
and shut the door.
“How’s yoh day” His accent was noticeably African. He appeared
to have a genuine smile. It enticed me to carry on a decent
conversation.
“Oh very good.” I glanced down at my array of bags. “Lots of
shopping.”
“Well, it’s a good day for it eh Pretty ladies always be shoppin’.”
“Yes, sir.” I smiled, relatively impressed by the congeniality of
the taxicab driver.
“Suh, now You’s most definitely not from around here, no”
“Oh, definitely not,” I explained. “I’m from a small country
town, over a thousand miles from the Big Apple.”
“Yessam, Me toh.”
I looked out my window—a metallic prison. There were skyscrapers,
cars, tenements and bridges. And, for the time being, we
were stuck in endless traffic. So, I made the conscious decision to
participate in conversation.
“Where are you from”
“Oh, a small, small town in de middle of Kenya. Yoh heard of
Kenya”
“Yes, sir.” I smiled, “some of us Americans know our geography.”
He grinned, taking note of my sarcasm. “Yes, well t’at is a
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