[December 26, 2009] The tow must go on, even on Christmas Tweet Dec 26, 2009 (The Free Lance-Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For some people, Christmas is just another day of the week. Dominion Cab owner- driver Darryl Green works seven days a week, 365 days a year. There isn't a Christmas tree in his house, or any Christmas lights. He doesn't have time to decorate a house he says he is rarely in. Green said that dedication to his job lost him a girlfriend, but at least he's making a living. "My mother is cooking ham and macaroni-and-cheese and she told me that I better come," said the 48-year-old cab driver. "I'll go over there to try to eat, but if the phone rings, I gotta go. I can't miss the money." As he finished his sentence, his phone rang. It was one of his customers calling to wish him a Merry Christmas. "Merry Christmas to you, too," Green replied, as he hung up the phone. "I got customers calling all day just to wish me a Merry Christmas." As most families shared presents and feasted at the dinner table, there was a host of people -- police officers, firefighters, tow truck drivers, gas station employees and a few restaurant servers -- who had to clock in for work. All Green needs to get his day started is a hot Lipton tea with sugar and cream. James Taylor, 42, was driving a cab with Green. Taylor said yesterday was the first time he has worked on Christmas. He said he will celebrate with his 10-year-old and 15-year-old sons on Tuesday, when he goes to visit them in Maryland on his only day off. Holly Morgan, a manager at the Wawa on the corner of Harrison Road and U.S. 1, said the five employees who worked yesterday got double pay. All Wawa stations, as well as most other gas stations, were open yesterday. "It's not bad," Morgan said. "I volunteered for it so people who do have kids can have the day off." Cathy Salviejo, who was brewing coffee, said she'll celebrate Christmas with her 3-year-old son, Kyle, in the afternoon, after the end of her shift. "I wouldn't be doing anything at home but sitting around, so I might as well work and make some money," she said. Coleman Motor Co. Inc., is open around the clock all year for towing. Carol Coleman, the owner, said they celebrate Christmas in between phone calls. She said it's funny that whenever they watch a family holiday video, there's always the din of the phone ringing in the background. Their house is adjacent to the business off Briscoe Lane, behind the Volvo dealership on Fall Hill Avenue. In her oven was a large turkey for her immediate family and the three employees who volunteered to work Christmas. "They are the backbone," she said. "They are the ones willing to make our business successful." Jeff Stambaugh said he got up at 6:30 a.m. to celebrate Christmas with his 5-year-old son, Aaron, and his wife. He was at Coleman's before 9 a.m. to answer towing calls. At least Stambaugh was able to plan his Christmas-day schedule. The company's clients weren't as fortunate. Larry Rowe, who lives in the Dominion Green subdivision in Spotsylvania County, couldn't get his 2005 Nissan Frontier to start. He went on the Internet and saw that Coleman had a good customer rating, so he called them to tow his vehicle back to CarMax where he bought it last week. "It's stressing me out because I need to get going," he said. "I am going to visit my mom in Newport News." But the dealership was closed. Rowe, looking somewhat defeated, said he'd have to visit his mother, Louise Rowe, today instead. Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438 Email: [email protected] To see more of The Free Lance-Star or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://fredericksburg.com/flshome. Copyright (c) 2009, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]