The exhausted man thanked Kola for the ride and tailed his weary wife and children up the cobblestone steps to the door of their home with their last piece of luggage. Kola watched them vanish into the darkness of their home for a moment before climbing back into his vehicle. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard; the digital display told him it was three-fifteen in the morning. He let out a tired yawn and pulled the van out of the dark driveway.
Kola found the night hours a very convenient and less stressful time to drive. The traffic was always light, and the intervals between ride requests were usually very short. Tonight's driving was not different; it was the weekend, and the downtown areas were busy with people milling around in bars, clubs, restaurants, and other establishments offering nightly services to their patrons. His recently dropped passengers had been picked from the airport, and the exhausted family had all but fallen asleep once they and their luggage had been bundled neatly into the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica he operated for this purpose.
He dropped his next passenger near the city center. There were still so many people out and about at that time of the morning. He opted to continue driving for a bit longer, and after about an hour, he finally decided it was time for him to call it a night. He reached to switch the app off and paused as another ride request came in. The request was for a larger group of people. The payment was quite decent; it included a couple of stops, with the final destination on his way out of town. He shrugged - one more ride wouldn't hurt -- and hit the accept button.
Ten minutes later, he pulled up outside a large, crowded bar, and a group of about seven drunk and giggling college girls enthusiastically piled in. Their lively chatter filled the van; drunk laughter and animated conversations echoed within the vehicle. Kola couldn't help but smile at some of the raunchy details being shared. The energy of the group kept him awake and staved off the weariness he felt.
The first stop was at an all-night IHOP where three of the girls hopped out to grab some early morning grub. The next stop took them to a quiet residential area, where the girls with the food disembarked and bid farewell to their remaining friends in the van. Kola wished them a good night and watched as they stumbled toward their building. The four remaining girls talked briefly in hushed tones until he pulled up outside another college building where three of them got out.
"I'm sorry you had to listen to all that," the last girl said from the back seat.
"That's okay," Kola replied with a chuckle, glancing at the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of the girl. "It's all part of the job. Trust me, I've heard worse conversations. You girls seemed like you had a good time tonight."
The girl smiled, and Kola continued the journey towards the outskirts of town to her destination. The atmosphere in the van was more subdued now. Kola discovered that they were all students at one of the colleges in town. She seemed very eager to chat and expressed her appreciation gleefully.
"Do you mind if I come up front?" she asked.
"Not at all, feel free," Kola replied, gesturing to the empty passenger seat beside him. He took his foot off the accelerator and began to slow the van down. "Do you want me to pull over?"
"No, don't bother. I can scramble my way forward."
Kola caught a glimpse of her dark-colored panties as she scrambled into the passenger seat. She wore a pretty bottle-green dress, the slit in the short fabric gracefully emphasizing her smooth thighs. She pulled her jacket off and laid it across her lap. Kola noticed a blood-red flower tattooed on one of her breasts that bulged invitingly from the plunging neckline of her outfit, the colors contrasting beautifully against the paleness of her skin.
"I'm Kissandra by the way, but everyone calls me Kizzy," she introduced herself.
"Pleasure meeting you, Kissandra. I'm Kola," he replied, shaking her proffered hand.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"I'm from Nigeria."
"That's cool. I have some Nigerian classmates in one of my classes," she replied, a hint of another smile appearing on her pretty face.
The rest of their conversation focused on a bit of their backgrounds and interests. Kola learned that Kizzy was a major in political science. She was very intrigued to learn he had moved to the United States for his studies and was pursuing a master's degree in Natural Sciences.
"Here we are," he announced as they pulled up outside her destination, a large cobble stone single family home in a quiet residential area.
"Thanks for the ride," she replied. She didn't immediately get out, her fingers lingering on the door handle. "Do you...do you plan on driving some more tonight?" she asked.
Kola shook his head. "Nope. You're my last passenger. I'm heading home now."
She paused. "Do you...mind us continuing our conversation? I'd like to talk to you some more."
Kola glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was nearly five-thirty. He looked through the windshield at the sky; the first lights of dawn were already breaking, painting the clouds with hues of orange and pink. "Sure, I have a few minutes."
Kissandra grinned happily. "There's a parking lot just around the corner. Do you mind driving there? I don't want anyone walking up on us...there are quite nosey people in this neighborhood, even at this time of the morning."
Kola drove for approximately half a block and found the parking lot she had described. The area was almost full, a few empty spots scattered here and there. He chose one tucked away in a dimly lit corner well away from the bright glare of the streetlights that illuminated the parking space. He switched the van off and turned to Kissandra.
"So what else would you like to talk about?"
"How old are you?" she asked out of the blue.
