Deductive Reasoning 101 - Part 2

But now I do deductive reasoning constantly and it’s hard for me to even realize how my brain has come to a conclusion.

Last week I was getting groceries and since I don’t have a car, I have to take a taxi home. I was standing at the store’s door and saw the taxi pull up. I came out with my cart full of stuff and the driver popped open his trunk, but he didn’t get out of the car right away. When he finally emerged from the cab a couple minutes later, he had his cell phone pressed against his ear. Another minute passes then he finally hung it up and started helping me put my groceries into his car’s trunk.

To make a joke I said, “You teenagers and your phones!” (the guy was probably in his 50’s)

Then I continued, “Your wife can bark at you on her own time.”

He laughed out loud and said, “Oh she doesn’t bark at me anymore. We’ve been divorced for a couple of years and we don’t even speak now.”
 
So I responded, “Well then I forgive you. Nobody can hang up when they are talking to the Government. And especially NOT when it’s something as important as what you were talking about.”

His eyes got big and round and afraid and he looked at his cell phone. Then back at me. Then at his cell phone. Then back at me. He was obviously a bit freaked out. But I was obviously a bit cold (it’s Canada in the winter), so I got into the back seat of the cab.

He got into the drivers seat a moment later. I gave him the address and he started to drive, but I could see that he was glaring at me in the back seat through his rear view mirror. The he left the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction to where I live.
 
I looked up and said quickly, “Hey. You’re going the wrong way!”
He looked around quickly and realized what he was doing and shut off the fare meter. He apologised profusely and finally got his car headed in the right direction, (turned the meter back on) but he still kept stealing glances at me in the rear view mirror.

I asked him, “Is there something wrong? Are you alright?”

He responded by saying slowly, “How did you know I was talking to someone from the Canadian Government on my cell phone?”

I was digging through my purse for something, so I had to stop and think for a moment. How did I know? I retraced my thoughts out loud:

“Well. Let’s see. When you arrived with your car you popped your trunk, which let me know you were going to accept me as your fare. BUT, you didn’t get out of your car right away, even though you saw I had a bunch of groceries. When you finally came out of the car, you had your cell phone to your ear but you weren’t saying anything. You were just listening. Then after another minute you said, ‘Right, right, right. I’ll be there at 10:00 am tomorrow. No problem.’ before you hung up.
Your manner on the phone was polite, accommodating and you were actually standing up very straight. However, I know that taxi drivers cannot waste time, especially in cold weather due to the price of gas. So you should be accommodating ME most of all because I’m a paying customer. Yet you had more respect for the person on the phone. It was someone that you would obey without question, even though you’re a grown man.
I figured that if it was your boss, he would want you to make as much money as possible and not keep a paying customer waiting. With your boss you could have said, ‘I’ve got a fare. I’ve got to hang up’. But you kept ME waiting instead. So, no boss!
Then I made a joke to see if it was your wife. I figure that it might be your wife and she was ticked off with you , in which case you would make a customer wait a moment and would agree to do whatever your wife said whenever she wanted you to do it. Wherever she said.
But when I teased you about your wife, you said you hadn’t talked to her for a long time.
So, who is it that you can’t hang up on, you do whatever they say, you are nervous on the phone, even though you’re a grown man? But someone who is NOT your boss or wife, yet can make you jump through hoops whenever they wish you to?
The Government!
And it must be important if they are giving you an appointment as quickly as tomorrow morning, when the government is famous for slowing us down with their bureaucracy and red tape.

Simple.”