The bag of `dodgy'
Page 12
Call Sign February 2012
£50 Notes!
"I laugh now, but it was highly
embarrassing at the time,"
Dial-a-Cab driver Ray Cahalan
(Y75) quietly admitted to Call
Sign, "and it proved that you
should never judge people too
quickly!"
Going into more detail, Ray told us
how he had stopped in Oxford Street for
a young Arab lady. She was wearing a
reliable, fail-safe, anti-forgery magic pen,
hijab and accompanied by two young-
she had been given a load of worthless
sters.
paper!"Then, giving a clue as to how he
"She asked me for the Hilton
must have felt in the lift, Ray told Call
Metropole hotel on Edgware Road. On
Sign with almost a look of embarrass-
arrival at the hotel she handed me a £50
ment: "I looked very carefully at the
note for the £6 fare and while I was ini-
`magic pen' nestling in my hand, and
tially suspicious of such a high value
into which I had placed so much faith,
note for such a short journey, I recalled
casting doubt upon this lady's integrity
that many visitors from the Middle East
and realised that in my haste to leave the
walk about with that kind of money just
cab, I had picked up my Dial-a-Cab
as we use £10 notes. So I took the note,
marker pen, the sort we use to fill out
which felt ok to the touch. I gave her the
client's names on the name board!!
change and she disappeared rather
"We both laughed as I discovered
smartishly into the hotel lobby. I rou-
what had happened, but I beat a rather
tinely check all high value currency
hasty retreat from the hotel before
given to me and keep a `counterfeit pen'
someone thought to call for the security
Ray Cahalan
close to hand for that purpose and so
guard and have me explain why I had
just to satisfy myself all was well, I decid-
put a thick black line through Her
notes from her bag and by the time the
ed to reach down into the central con-
Majesty's royal features," Ray said laugh-
tenth one came and went I was begin-
sole for my magic pen to make absolute-
ing. "I didn't fancy being locked up in
ning to wonder if she was a serial forger
ly sure the £50 note really was a good
the Tower of London for treason," Ray
and my £6 quid was well and truly out of
one.
said with a smile, "or explain to the
the window!"
"To my horror, the pen left a thick
woman that her £50 notes with my
"Then the lady looking even more
black line across the Queen's head as I
black line through them now did look
shocked than me asked me what she
scrolled over the note's surface. My
decidedly dodgy!"
should do and I advised her to take the
heart suddenly missed a beat," said Ray.
entire bag of currency back to where
"Only seconds had gone from when
she had got it, because according to my
© Call Sign Magazine MMX11
the lady had left my cab, I shot out of the
taxi, pen and `dodgy' £50 note in hand,
shouted to the doorman what had hap-
THE SALIERI RESTAURANT
pened and rushed into the lobby to con-
front the errant fare, but she was
nowhere to be seen as I glanced around
376 Strand, WC2
the foyer."
As Ray recounted the story, his voice
We Invite Dial-a-Cab drivers and their guests to our
began to quiver as the memory returned
of his feelings at that moment after hav-
restaurant where you can partake of the finest food and wine
ing given the woman £44 of legal tender
And as a thank-you for helping our clients come
in exchange for what seemed to be a
and go over the years, we are happy to be able to
forged note. Ray continued his tale.
"Finally, I spotted her and the two chil-
offer you a genuine 25% discount on your bill
dren standing in the elevator with the
doors about to close. I rushed toward
We are certain that you will be delighted
the doors, jamming my foot in the gap to
prevent them coming together and my
fare disappearing forever. I explained to
the startled lady that the £50 note she
had given me in good faith was a dud
and that she still owed me £6.
"The woman delved into her bag and
handed me another £50 note and as I
Please bring along your badge or Bill as ID
carefully ran my counterfeit pen along
its length, another black line appeared
Salieri Restaurant
across it! Another note came out of the
376 Strand, WC2
lady's bag and yet another big black line
showed up on that one too!" Ray
Reservations: 020 7836 1318
exclaimed.
"I went through several more £50
