Being Hugged by a Taxi Driver

Saturday morning I left the UK to head back to St. Louis. Everyone gathered on the porch at the B&B to wish me well, which was very nice. The taxi driver was an older Englishman and we talked the whole way to Heathrow about a number of topics. I told him I was in the process of moving to the UK. He told me all about his visits to the U.S. His daughter lived in New Jersey for a few years and he has also visited Las Vegas, New York City, Orlando and other cities a number of times. He proclaimed his absolute love for America. He said that the service he experienced there was second to none. He also is in awe of the size, which he says that no Brit can truly understand unless they visit the U.S. He lamented that when he meets people from the States that they inevitably say that they want to visit England and see the history. In a most animated voice, he said, "No, don't visit! You will get ripped off, you'll get bad service, and you will hate the food!" I laughed. He said, I tell them "live the dream in your head and avoid the reality". We had a wonderful visit. When I got out of the taxi and he finished unloading my bags, he hugged me and wished me well on my trip. This might sound strange, but we talked like old friends. It was very sweet.