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Fiction Magazine Books & literature Memoirs and reflections Northern Ireland Short stories

The taxi driver

A short story by the Northern Irish writer Carlo Gébler

By Carlo Gébler  
January 20, 1996
January 1996

The taxi driver whizzes through Belfast. It is early morning. Talk is of cars and babies and the new car I bought-that was years ago-and how I was never able to get the smell of the baby’s sick off the back seat.

“I know where you’re coming from,” he says.

He has a pleasant face and wears a chunky identity bracelet.

“A couple of years back now…”

I feel a story looming.

“Pre-cease fire?”

“Yep. Pick up two suits on the street-we’re not meant to but they look okay; one goes in the back, other in the front; he…

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Carlo Gébler

Carlo Gébler was born in Dublin in 1954. He is the author of novels including The Cure (1994) and How to Murder a Man (1998), the memoir Father & I (2000), the narrative history The Siege of Derry (2005), and two travel books, Driving Through Cuba (1988) and The Glass Curtain (1991). Last year the Lagan press published his novel, A Good Day for a Dog. He has taught at Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast and HMP Maghaberry, where he has been writer in residence since 1997. His film Put to the Test won the 1999 Royal Television Society award. “I am drawn to conflict as a writer,” he told Prospect, “and you’ll find there is no greater crucible of conflict than a prison.”

More stories by Carlo Gébler

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