I'm writing this from my second (of two) hotels here.

I've been here, on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, for about a week. I spent the first few days at a hotel, then moved here, to another hotel near the airport, for my last night.

I called an Uber (equivalent, it's not actually called 'Uber') and about halfway from my old hotel to the new one I realised I'd left my backup phone, which by the way is also important for crypto reasons, in my hotel room.

That's very unlike me, I always quadruple check I didn't forget anything but hey, it happens.

So I asked the driver to please go back, and told him I could still pay him the full price for the ride and then call another ride if he didn't want/couldn't wait.

He said "no problem, I can wait".

So he did. Then, when I got to my destination I thought, well he waited for me, so I'm gonna give him a note that's about 20-30 percent bigger than what I actually owe him, and he'll give me the change, and I'll say "no worries, that'll be the tip, as a thank-you for waiting".

For reference, in local currency, my ride would've cost the equivalent of $5.5 and the tip would be the equivalent of $1.5.

I gave him the bigger bill, I waited a split-second for him to reach for his wallet to give me change so I could tell him, "don't worry about it, that's the tip. For waiting."

But he didn't. I guess he assumed he was entitled to the tip, which by the way I agree that he was, and didn't even pretend otherwise.

Odd.

It felt like the equivalent of a girl on a first date that stares at you blankly when the waiter shows up with a tip.

It felt like the equivalent of somebody that doesn't say "thank you" when you keep the door open for them, or hold the elevator for them.

I can also safely admit to the fact that part of the reason why I'm writing this is I've got about an hour to kill before my room is ready.