While riding in a cab headed to Reagan National Airport, I had some time to reflect on Langston. I know Langston’s momma didn’t raise him like that, so I can’t blame it on his upbringing. His behavior was obviously learned. There was some woman in the past or recent present that, instead of slapping the taste out of his mouth, giggled and smiled at his actions, believing that the road of least resistance was the pathway to the altar. That had to be the only explanation. Otherwise his words couldn’t have oozed so comfortably from his mouth like Aunt Jemima syrup on a stack of buttermilk pancakes.

Is it that bad out here that some women would actually put up with Langston’s antics? Are the pickings that slim, the choices that narrow, the competition that great? Are there actually women in the world so needy, desperate, and eager that they would actually consider being with such a man? But then again, look at me; I’m out here trying to find a husband in what has now dwindled down to two weeks, so I guess the answer to that question would be a resounding yes, it is that bad out here.

But I still have two more candidates to go, so now is not the time to RSVP as the guest of honor at my own pity party. I need to hunker down and dig my heels in the dirt. Time to focus, concentrate. Like that little old ant that believed he could move that rubber tree plant, I’ve got to keep my hopes high. Like Gloria Gaynor, I will survive. Just as long as I know how to love, I know I’ll stay alive. I will survive! I will survive! Hey, hey!

“Sorry, ma’am, the shuttle’s shut down for the evening,” were the words of the skycap at the Transcontinental terminal.

On the heels of my verbally affirmed moment of seventies’ soul inspiration, those were the last words I wanted to hear. I was so close to home, yet so far. I slumped back into the cab. The cab driver, who badly needed a shave and a shower, offered a half-hearted solution.

“So what do you want to do? I could drive you into Baltimore, but I wouldn’t advise it.”

“Why not?”

“Because for what it will cost you, you could put a down payment on a house.”

“Is there any way I could get a discount? Can I just pay a flat rate?”

“Yes, there are ways you could get a discount, but for a decent-looking lady such as yourself, again, I wouldn’t advise it.”

I noticed the cab driver was staring at me through his rearview mirror like I was a biscuit. His breath smelled like roasted garbage. I quickly reached into my purse, pulled out some cash, paid the fare, and exited the cab.