Called a Taxi, So I Can Still… (Tidy Up While I Wait)

Two panels on a beige background

The comic consists of two panels on a warm beige background. In the first, a brown-haired man in a green sweater looks at his phone and says: “Okay, taxi’s called, I can still…” In the second, he has turned and stands thoughtfully with a hand on his chin: “…tidy up a bit here while I wait for the car.”

This version has no continuation: the turning point of the comic itself is not drawn. It is implied that in the next scene the car is already at the building entrance. So this is the setup rather than the full story.

What is known about the author

The author of the comic and the first publication could not be established. The meme is sometimes linked to the topic of brands, but the picture has no logo or service name, so the drawing cannot be tied to a specific company. As with other comics of this type, the story may have existed before it began to be widely reposted in 2021.

How the joke works

The humor comes from the hero’s careful calculation. He estimates the waiting time, sees an empty window in it, and plans to fill it with something useful. Waiting for a ride in an app often ends faster than it seems, and plans for ten minutes fall apart in two.

The second mechanic is recognition. Almost everyone has at least once decided “I still have time.” That is why the comic works without any extra caption.

What is drawn on the faces

A careful look shows how the hero’s expression changes. In the first panel he smiles at one corner of his mouth and looks at the phone screen: calm confidence that there is time. In the second, his brows are knitted, his mouth is slightly open, and his hand is at his neck: he is weighing the task, and this seriousness contrasts with the triviality of the matter.

Simple cartoon drawing, plain sweaters, and a plain background make the hero an everyman, someone whose place anyone can take.

Invented continuations

“…put on the kettle while waiting for the delivery.” The caption transfers the scheme to another situation: again a short window and a failure.

“…water the plants while waiting for the bus.” Here the window is even smaller, and life is even less predictable.

“…finish the presentation while the file loads.” The work version suits those who always put everything off.

“…finally read the letter from the tax office while the water boils.” The caption plays on the fact that the matter is important while time has run out again.

When to use it

The frames are used as a reaction to someone’s “I’ll do it quickly now” or to one’s own habit of underestimating time. The first panel can be left as a question, and the second replaced with your own caption: the meaning will remain clear. There is no need to invent stories about real people: the hero here is drawn and deliberately ordinary.

How to develop the theme further

The comic is easy to continue with a third panel: the car has already arrived, and the hero stands with a rag. That is one way to extend the story. It can also be turned around: the taxi waits half an hour, and the hero manages everything, including what he did not plan to do. Both paths keep the main thing: the gap between calculation and reality.

Such variability helps the comic live longer: it is enough to change the hero’s activity and the waiting time, rather than redraw the story.

Another strength is that everyone’s taxi wait is different: some wait three minutes, others twenty. So a caption about the suddenly quick car is easily adapted to personal experience and is recognizable even to those who have not used a taxi in a long time.