Motorbike Taxi – Part 1: Old Quarter Rain

The rain came down over Hanoi like a wall. Linh stood under a shop awning in her best blouse and her mother's scarf, with a folder of documents clutched to her chest and an interview in twenty minutes on the other side of the Old Quarter.

"Where to?" said a voice behind her.

A man sat astride a battered red motorbike at the kerb, rain dripping from his helmet. He was lean and tanned, with a quick grin and an enormous yellow raincoat that made him look like a very friendly banana.

"The Hoàn Kiếm Trading Company," said Linh. "Twenty minutes."

"Eighteen, with me," said the driver. "I am Minh. Get on."

"Is it safe?"

"It is Hanoi," said Minh, and shrugged. "Nothing is safe. But I am the best."

She hesitated, then climbed on behind him and tucked the folder inside her scarf. The bike roared into the rain.

It was a wild ride. Minh wove between taxis and street vendors and a man carrying forty live ducks on a pole, humming cheerfully. Linh clung to his coat, eyes shut, then open, then shut again.

"Open your eyes!" shouted Minh. "You are missing the best part!"

She opened them. The narrow streets were hung with red lanterns, glowing against the grey, and the rain had turned every puddle into a mirror of light. Old women sold flowers from baskets. A boy on a bicycle shouted something rude and cheerful.

"It is beautiful," she called.

"Hanoi is always beautiful in the rain," said Minh. "Nobody has time to look."

They arrived with four minutes to spare. Linh climbed off, dripping, and stared at the glass doors of the company.

"You are nervous," said Minh.

"I have failed three interviews this year," she said quietly.

"Then I will give you a lucky charm." He pulled a small red bead from his pocket, threaded on a string. "My grandmother gave me this. It has never been wrong."

She took it, laughing, and tucked it into her pocket.

"Can I ask you something?" said Minh.

"Yes."

"If you get the job, will you let me drive you home? No charge. I would like to hear how it goes."

Linh's heart gave a small, surprised jump. "Yes," she said. "But only if you do not drive like a banana."

"I am a banana with a very good licence," said Minh. "Green?"

"Green," said Linh, smiling. "Very green. Wait for me, Minh."