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Published April 17, 2026

Lyft Ride

Finding connection with a stranger about feeling unsafe in the place we call home.
The text reads, “This was a story told to me by a rideshare driver. I don’t know how much of it is true, and I never saw him again.”Panel 1 shows a close-up image of a hand holding a phone in the rain. The phone shows a rideshare confirmation that reads, “Your ride will be here in 20 minutes!Panel 2 shows MC waiting in the rain under an umbrella while holding rolling luggage.Panel 3 shows a minivan arriving and flashing its headlights onto MC.Panel 1 shows MC pulling the door closed from inside the minivan. The driver asks, “Comfy?”In Panel 2, MC answers, “Yea,” and is now wearing a seat belt.Panel 3 shows a long line of cars stuck in traffic in the pouring rain.Panel 4 is from inside the car, shown from behind MC looking to the seat back of Driver. Driver asks, “You from New York?” MC answers, “Philly.” Driver asks, “Philly?”Panel 5 shows MC looking out the window into the rain and answering, “Philadelphia.”Panel 1 shows endless rows of cars on an overpass as well as the road below in the rain. The floating response from Driver, “Oh,” is in the bottom right corner.Panel 2 shows Driver from behind his seat. He says, “I’m not from here, either… a little town in Colombia.”In Panel 3, he continues, “Been here for thirty years. You?”Panel 4 shows MC in profile in front of the window. MC responds, “Less than a month.”Panel 1 shows Driver from behind. He says, “Ha! More new than me. But no accent!”In Panel 2, which has the same design, MC says, “I like your accent.” Driver responds, “Thank you! I like yours.”Panel 3 has the same design and no text.Panel 4 is the same angle from farther back, to show the top of the back of MC’s head in front of the back of Driver’s seat. Driver says, “Someone stole my credit card information, I think.” MC responds, “... What?”Panel 1 shows a car next to the one the two characters are riding in, viewed through the window with rain dripping down the window. Driver says, “I got a call saying I won $500.”Panel 2 is the same shot but from farther in front of the other car. Driver continues, “They had all my information.”Panel 3 shows MC’s phone in their lap as they scroll. Driver continues, “I just needed to verify the number on the back of the card.”Panel 4 is a side view of MC in the back seat of the car, now looking up from their phone at the back of Driver. MC says, “That sounds like a scam.” Driver responds, “Yea.”Panel 5 is the same angle. MC says, “... well… did you give them the number?”Panel 6 is from the front of Driver, and shows both Driver from the chin down and MC in the back seat. Driver says, “Yes.” MC says, “Aw, man.” Driver says, “Yea, I know.”Panel one shows Driver in profile from nose to shoulders, saying, “It was a bad decision. But they had everything else – read the numbers to me.”Panel 2 shows Driver from behind with one elbow resting on the driver’s side windowsill. Driver says, “A few days later, I looked at my bank account. They took $900.”Panel 3 shows MC looking upset with ink splashes making a texture for the background. MC says, “DUDE.” Driver responds, “I know.”Panel 1 shows a right-side profile view of Driver from nose to shoulder. Driver says, “It took some doing, but I got the money back.”Panel 2 shows Driver from the front from nose to shoulder and a black background. There is no text.Panel 3 shows a left side close-up profile of Driver with a gray background. Driver says, “I haven’t gotten much sleep lately.”Panel 4 shows MC in ¾ view facing away from the audience, in close-up. MC says, “Yes, getting your identity stolen is terrifying.” Driver responds in floating text, “Besides that.”Panel 5 is a close-up of raindrops streaking the window. Driver’s floating speech: “It’s this new president. He’s getting rid of everyone on his staff that looks like you or me.”Panel 6 is a close-up of water drops on the window, with Driver’s floating response continued, “Anyone brown. Anyone black.”Panel 7 is an extreme close-up of the water drops on the window. Driver finishes, “I can’t sleep.”Panel 1 is a close-up of Driver in ¾ front view from nose to shoulders. Driver says, “You said you grew up in Philadelphia?”Panel 2 shows MC from behind MC’s head and the back of Driver’s seat. MC says, “I live there. I grew up in Detroit.”Panel 3 shows Driver from nose to shoulders, smiling. Driver says, “Detroit! They say that place is dangerous.”Panel 4 shows MC in the back seat, leaning a little to the left with an irritated expression. “Didn’t you come from Colombia?” Driver says, “Ha! Yes.”Panel 5 has no text. It shows MC in the back seat looking irritated while staring out the window, and Driver closer to the viewer looking left, shown from nose to the top of the shoulder.Panel 6 has the same design. Driver says, “Was there gunfire?”Panel 1 shows MC in the back seat looking irritated while staring out the window, and Driver closer to the viewer looking left, shown from nose to the top of the shoulder. MC says, “Sometimes.”Panel 2 has the same design as panel 1, except both characters are facing forward. Driver says, “Yea…We had gunfire, too.”Panel 3 is a close-up of MC looking out the window, saying, “It wasn’t so bad. People take care of each other.”Panel 4 shows MC in the back seat looking forward. Closer to the viewer, Driver smiles in the front seat and is shown from nose to shoulder. MC says, “You know?” Driver says, “I do! I loved my home, too.”Panel 5 has the same design as panel 4, except Driver is not smiling as widely. MC says, “So why did you leave?” Driver says, “I had to.”Panel 1 shows Driver at the front right, facing forward, from nose to shoulders. MC is behind Driver, sitting in the back seat and staring forward. Driver says, “You are too young, I think. But a long time ago, it was very bad.”Panel 2 is a close-up of Driver’s face from nose to chin, and a dark background. Driver says, “They started taking people. Five or six a day. You would never see them again.”Panel 3 shows another close-up of Driver from nose to the top of the shoulder, and behind Driver is the edge of the seat. MC says, “...They?” Driver responds, “My mother could sense these things sometimes.”Panel 1 shows Driver from nose to shoulder, head turned to the right to show his profile. He says, “Once, we were driving. A truck was next to us.”Panel 2 shows traffic through the car window, mainly a large carrier truck. Rain streaks across the window. Driver continues, “The back was filled with police.”Panel 3 shows Driver’s hands on the wheel. Driver says, “My mother became very anxious. She said… ‘Pull over. Turn down this next road. Don’t drive next to them.’”Panel 1 shows the carrier truck cab close-up from inside the car window. Rain streaks across the window. Driver says, “I asked her why. She just said, ‘I have a bad feeling.’”Panel 2 is a close-up of Driver in profile with a dark background. Driver says, “So I turned on another street.”Panel 3 is a close-up of rain streaking across the car window. Driver says, “A few seconds later, we heard the explosion…saw the smoke over the buildings.”Panel 4 is another close-up of rain across the window. Driver says, “I’ll never forget that sound.”Panel 5 shows MC from head to shoulders with a worried expression. MC says, “Someone blew up a truck full of cops?” Driver answers, “Yes."Panel 1 shows Driver from the front, shown from the nose down to his hands on the wheel. MC is sitting in the back seat, but the visual details have faded to only a loose outline. Driver says, “There was a bounty on anyone working with the government.”Panel 2 has the same design, but now MC is completely faded out, with dollar bills falling where MC should be. Driver says, “They offered around the same as $100,000 American dollars…to anyone who could kill a high-ranking official.”Panel 3 is a close-up of a pile of $100 bills. Driver continues, “The mercenaries heard about this. Flooded my town. Things became very bad. Worse.”Panel 1 shows Driver looking to the right, seen from nose to shoulders Behind him, MC starts to fade into view again, but only MC’s glasses and seatbelt are clear. MC asks, “Is that why you left?” Driver responds, “No.”Panel 2 is the same design, but MC is now clearly seated in the backseat. Driver continues, “I left after they took me.”Panel 3 is the same design as the previous two, but MC is now pointing at Driver. MC asks, “You worked for the government?” Driver responds, “No. I was a lawyer - Criminal Justice. I would prosecute. They did not like that.”Panel 4 is a medium shot of MC in the back seat by the edge of the seat, next to the window. MC looks worried and asks, “How long were you gone?”Panel 5 is a close-up of Driver’s left hand on the wheel. The hand has the thumb and three fingers extended. Driver says, “3 months and 5 days…I think. It was hard to tell.”Panel 1 is a close-up of Driver’s hands on the wheel. There is a rain-covered front window behind them, with the windshield wipers wiping. Driver says, “They did not do the worst. Just a little.”Panel 2 shows a close-up ¾ view of the Driver’s side window of the car. We can see his hands on the wheel, the front window through the side window, and the side view mirror reflects the side of Driver’s face. The background is rainy. Driver says, “Some torture. No food for days sometimes.”Panel 3 shows the front window of the car from inside, with the rearview mirror at the top right. The windshield has wipers moving in the rain. The mirror reflects both the top right side of the Driver’s face and the MC in the back seat. Driver says, “And then, one day, they let me go.”Panel 1 is the same design as Panel 3 of the previous page. MC is still reflected in the rearview mirror, but is now looking down. Driver says, “I do not know why. I think maybe I was not important enough.”Panel 2 shows MC looking down next to the window. MC says, “I’m sorry.” Driver responds, “It’s OK.”Panel 3 is a close-up of the rearview mirror, showing the Driver on the left looking behind him at MC on the right. MC says, “It must have been nice to see your family again…after all that.”Panel 1 is a close-up of the left side of the rearview mirror in front of the windshield, reflecting Driver’s full face. Driver says, “No. I did not see them again.”Panel 2 shows a line of cars behind the main car’s back windshield. Windshield wipers cut diagonally across the page. We can see vaguely into the car directly behind the main car. There are small children’s faces looking over the back seat. Driver says, “I took the clothes on my back, and I left. I did not stop until I was far away.”Panel 3 is a close-up of the rearview mirror, with Driver on the left and MC on the right. Driver says, “I had no money, no food…but I did not look back.”Panel 4 shows Driver’s left profile with a rainy window behind him. He says, “I have a new family now. Children.”Panel 1 shows Driver’s smiling face, saying, “I think if my children went to my old town now…”Panel 2 shows Driver from the front in his seat. He continues, “...they would be safe.”Panels 3-5 have a similar design as Panel 2. In Panel 3, Driver continues, “Things have changed so much over the years.”In Panel 4, he says, “Back then, if someone like you – a small woman – goes out at night…”In Panel 5, he says, “...they would kill you, after they did horrible things.”Panel 1 shows the inside of the right side of the car. Driver is facing forward but leaning slightly left, with hands on the wheel. MC sits in the backseat and leans to the left while facing forward. Driver says, “But now, you could visit. Maybe not by yourself.”Panel 2 shows Driver’s head, neck and seat as he looks left. He says, “You could be fine. I am 96 percent sure.”Panel 3 shows Driver looking left with one hand up and his pointer finger raised. MC is in the backseat, between Driver’s finger and face, and smiling. MC says, “96 percent?” Driver responds, “96 to 98 percent!”Panel 4 shows MC from head to shoulders. MC says, “You should visit Detroit. It’s a beautiful city, 95 percent of the time.”Panel 5 shows Driver looking left, and MC behind him smiling. Driver says, “I would like that very much!”Panel 6 shows the inside of the car, barring the front left seat. Driver looks surprised and says, “Oop. We’re here.” MC looks around the back of Driver’s seat.Panel 1 shows the minivan parked in front of the “Air Prance” entrance of the airport. There are no people around. The entrance has two rotating doors, a graffitied pillar to the left, and a hanging sign pointing to Gates A & B. There is no dialogue.Panel 2 shows the inside of the minivan. Driver sits with his hands on the wheel and is looking down, frowning. MC sits in the back seat with a neutral expression. There is no dialogue.Panel 3 has the same design as Panel 2, but Driver looks at MC. He says, “I guess it’s time to go.”Panel 1 shows the inside of the minivan. Driver sits with his hands on the wheel and is looking back to MC. MC sits in the back seat with a neutral expression.Panel 2 is the same design, but MC is undoing the seatbelt, and Driver is halfway out of the car.Panel 3 shows the back of the minivan, and the trunk is open. Driver is on the left side, holding MC’s luggage in his left hand, and his right hand is on top of the open trunk. MC stands to the right side, looking up at the open trunk top. Driver is about a foot taller than MC when standing.Panel 1 shows the back of the minivan in the dark, with the back door/trunk closed, spotlighted from the airport. MC and Driver are standing face to face in front of the viewer, with Driver on the left and MC on the right. MC takes the luggage from Driver. There is no dialogue.Panel 2 shows the same design, but Driver and MC stand still. MC is looking up at Driver.Panel 3 is a close-up of Driver and MC looking at each other. MC asks, “Is it weird if I hug you?”Panel 4 has no dialogue. Driver and MC face each other, and Driver holds out his hands.Panel 5 shows the back of the minivan in the dark, spotlighted by the airport. Driver and MC hug while standing in front of it, with MC’s luggage next to them.Panel 1 is a close-up of Driver and MC in front of the back window of the minivan. Driver kisses MC on the forehead, and has one hand on MC’s shoulder.Panel 2 is a close-up of Driver and MC. Driver has both hands on MC’s shoulders, and they are looking at each other. The background is blank, but gray. Driver says, “Safe travels, my friend.”Panel 3 shows the back of Driver, in shadow. In front of him is the airport entrance, with MC walking through the doors but turned back to wave goodbye. Driver has one hand up in a wave. There is no dialogue.Panel 4 shows the empty front of the airport, close-up on the doors closing. Bright lights from inside light up the sidewalk on the outside.Panel 5 is black.

This comic was edited for Crucial by Geetha Iyer.

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