It was still dark when the phone rang, and I
knew he was here to pick me up.
In his cab, with lights blinking, we spoke over the noise of the radio, Carlo busy, but calm as usual. His confidence and courtesy always gives the impression of being with an airline captain, as you start your flight.
But his journey is to the highways, I love early mornings, I feel I’m doing something, being with people to kick-start their day is an incredible feeling, and everyone seems to have a story to tell; either they are businessmen, Journalists or travellers.
On the roads, Carlo has been driving taxis for quarter of a century, I’ve started in 1989, a year after I came from Iran. To answer the question if Carlo is a typical Iranian name, he paused, and then turned his radio off, no, but I’m a fan of Carlo Ponti. In my twenties, people would tell me, I look like him. Ponti made great movies like Dr Zhivago. He married my favourite actress Sofia Loren, what a perfect match.
Carlo still have interesting viewpoints and suggestion on how to improve- Cinema Australia, but to answer if he did move here for his love of Australiana movies, not for the movies! We have had worries for our children to live in a place that is in trouble forever. In only 10 years we have had revolution, war, and millions of dead.
It did take Carlo and his family a while to have a migration plan. It wasn’t easy. We had to sell our home, leave our jobs, and say good bye to our families. I still miss the life we had and my wife feels the same, but..., Carlo said, then for a while, said nothing.
Later Carlo said he was a landscape architect back to Iran, but couldn’t find a job here in Australia, as he had to study further with no guarantee this can help.
But as life has continued, the reality starts, our savings were down. Having family, children and bills to pay was not that easy. One day my neighbour in Campbelltown introduced me to a taxi company. It has been a flexible job and suits me most as I need to share some responsibilities with my wife, said he.
For Carlo some days are legit but some days are stressful, traffic is killing me, he laughed, but I can handle it. Some people are boring and if the trip is long, I feel sad and lonely.
How do you cope with this feeling? I said.
I’ll call my wife and she would always say ‘finish your work and come home grand pa!’
In his 58, he now lives with his wife in a small unit not far from their grown up children. They know we did the best we could for them and they are happy. My daughter is married and has two children she loves, and my son is a university lecturer and happily married too, they have two beautiful little girls.
Carlo’s social life is limited and dedicated to his family and limited friends. He still enjoys gathering with them at home, in a park or at a Persian restaurant, I only drink VB, this is the best beer in the world.
When I asked Carlo about his regrets, Ah may be, but when I go home and watch another Sir Ponti’s
movie with my wife, I am a different man from the one who is lost in the highways
Michael V
In his cab, with lights blinking, we spoke over the noise of the radio, Carlo busy, but calm as usual. His confidence and courtesy always gives the impression of being with an airline captain, as you start your flight.
But his journey is to the highways, I love early mornings, I feel I’m doing something, being with people to kick-start their day is an incredible feeling, and everyone seems to have a story to tell; either they are businessmen, Journalists or travellers.
On the roads, Carlo has been driving taxis for quarter of a century, I’ve started in 1989, a year after I came from Iran. To answer the question if Carlo is a typical Iranian name, he paused, and then turned his radio off, no, but I’m a fan of Carlo Ponti. In my twenties, people would tell me, I look like him. Ponti made great movies like Dr Zhivago. He married my favourite actress Sofia Loren, what a perfect match.
Carlo still have interesting viewpoints and suggestion on how to improve- Cinema Australia, but to answer if he did move here for his love of Australiana movies, not for the movies! We have had worries for our children to live in a place that is in trouble forever. In only 10 years we have had revolution, war, and millions of dead.
It did take Carlo and his family a while to have a migration plan. It wasn’t easy. We had to sell our home, leave our jobs, and say good bye to our families. I still miss the life we had and my wife feels the same, but..., Carlo said, then for a while, said nothing.
Later Carlo said he was a landscape architect back to Iran, but couldn’t find a job here in Australia, as he had to study further with no guarantee this can help.
But as life has continued, the reality starts, our savings were down. Having family, children and bills to pay was not that easy. One day my neighbour in Campbelltown introduced me to a taxi company. It has been a flexible job and suits me most as I need to share some responsibilities with my wife, said he.
For Carlo some days are legit but some days are stressful, traffic is killing me, he laughed, but I can handle it. Some people are boring and if the trip is long, I feel sad and lonely.
How do you cope with this feeling? I said.
I’ll call my wife and she would always say ‘finish your work and come home grand pa!’
In his 58, he now lives with his wife in a small unit not far from their grown up children. They know we did the best we could for them and they are happy. My daughter is married and has two children she loves, and my son is a university lecturer and happily married too, they have two beautiful little girls.
Carlo’s social life is limited and dedicated to his family and limited friends. He still enjoys gathering with them at home, in a park or at a Persian restaurant, I only drink VB, this is the best beer in the world.
When I asked Carlo about his regrets, Ah may be, but when I go home and watch another Sir Ponti’s
movie with my wife, I am a different man from the one who is lost in the highways
Michael V
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