No.297 Of The Immediacy of Truth

"It is true?" Asked the taxi driver as I got into his cab in O'Connell Street. I asked him if what was true. He said "that Gerry Ryan is dead". Straining to recall who he was exactly I assured him I had no idea. As we pulled away from the taxi rank he called a friend on the hands free set to ask him. He said he didn't know but that his friend is a reporter and he'd find out. A minute later another friend called who protested that it can't be true because he'd seen Ryan leaving his apartment barely 30 minutes before. The taxi driver assured him that it was news he'd heard from at least 2 mates and that his reporter friend that it was true. The caller rang off but not before declaring that may be it wasn't Ryan he had seen after all. The reporter then called back and confirmed that he had been found dead in his apartment that morning. The taxi driver then called a mate to confirm the news and then another. As I got to my destination and exited the cab I could hear the phone go again and the driver declaring "It's true. It's true".

I jumped into my car and headed North listening to 2FM. At the top of the hour the news bulletin reported what it seemed the cabbie fraternity already knew that Gerry Ryan was in fact dead.