The Uber Driver Who Stayed

In 2018, the friendship between Joey Remano and Beni Lukumu began. However, unlike most friendship stories, theirs was a luck of the draw. 

At the time, UT Austin senior Remano was skateboarding down the street as if it were any other day. Unfortunately, Remano had to make the risky decision to swerve into a ditch to avoid an oncoming car. This action led to Remano breaking his wrist, and instead of calling an ambulance for assistance, he called an Uber. Remano did not have good insurance, and the costs would have been too much.

Thankfully, Lukumu quickly arrived to usher Remano to urgent care, but with his injury being too severe, the duo had to drive to the ER. Throughout this whole process, Lukuma ensured Remano was being transported safely and gently. The even more outstanding part? Lukuma offered to drive Remano to these places with no additional fees. 

Shortly after their arrival, Remano mentioned how none of his family could be there to support him. Lukuma, having immigrated to the US from the Congo at age twenty-five, felt a flashback of loneliness sweep over him. He could have left Remano there, alone, but instead, he stayed to support him. Lukuma sat with him in the hospital from two to eight p.m., and it did not even register that he was missing work; his new friend was the only thing on his mind. 

Eventually, right before Remano’s discharge, his grandmother, who lived in Houston at the time, arrived. On the way out, his grandmother offered to pay Lukuma for his time, but he kindly refused. Alternatively, he agreed to join them for dinner, solidifying the seven-year-long friendship that was just beginning.

Remano had been in a place of grief before this event. Losing his younger brother took a toll on his mental health, but Lukuma’s act of kindness showed him a new perspective. Lukuma’s action truly pulled Remano out of a dark place, and their friendship only continued to grow from there. Both men found each other by coincidence that day; nonetheless, without that Uber call, who knows what their lives would have been?