One time the gods smiled upon me

But I’m taking no second chances

       I ran out of gas the other day, well almost.  I was at the fingernail biting point, but before even the 5th nail was bitten, I reached the pumps and gas was in my tank. 

        Took me a while to relax for I was  reminded of another time when I was out of gas,  and  a Good Samaritan saved me in the craziest way imaginable.  Common sense told me   Samaritans belong back in Biblical days, not hanging  around where I hang out,  but just the same, this is what happened  that day.  No fooling.

        That time I was really out of gas and not too far away  I saw a station selling gas a few cents lower than other places, and without a thought I turned  in.  Too late I saw the place was crowded, but figured the low price was  bound to bring in lots of customers.  But, again, belatedly, I saw that all those lined-up cars weren’t cars.

        Nope,  they were trucks and campers, and then I remembered that the next day was the opening of Deer Hunting season and it looked as if every hunter in the valley was filling their  tanks and auxiliary tanks right there.  Gallons and gallons were pouring out, but I  had no choice, for with an  empty tank I wasn’t going any place.

        I kept nervously glancing  at my gas gauge and knew my car was running on vapor, so I turned of the motor and waited.  I got out of the car and shuffled from foot to foot, and noted that  the fellow opposite me was up to 40 gallons and still going strong.  I wanted to beat my head against the car, wondering how long all this going to take, and if I hadn’t been on ’empty’, I’d have left and gone some other place, but it was too late. 

       The fellow glanced over at me, guessed  my predicament and drawled, “How much do you need?”  “Well,” I answered, “$5.00 worth would get my car moving.”

        He didn’t say anything for a moment and then said, “Are you charging or paying cash?” And I answered “Cash”, while wondering what difference it made.

        “Well”, he brusquely moved and  said, “let’s get you going.”  And with that he reached across the ‘barrier’,  took the lid off my  tank,  turned off the pump going into his tank, and somehow managed to get it into my tank. With his eyes on the meter, he carefully  measured out $5.00 worth of gas, then shut the gas off,  put the pump back in his tank and  set it going again. 

        Then,  he put my gas tank lid back on, and  with a satisfied grin on both our faces I  handed him $5.00 ( he refused an offered tip)  and, as a dwarf among mammoths,  with a lot  of fancy maneuvering among those huge campers, (and ignoring many a nasty look) I wiggled my little Colt out of there.  I waved a happy goodbye to my  Samaritan, he grinned back and I was on my way. Really, I think he was as pleased over the whole deal as I was.

        So, that’s the way fate once smiled upon me, and did I ever love it.  But I don’t like to press my luck and today when  the  meter shows Half-full, I interpret it to mean  “EMPTY”, and  head for the gas station.

       There’s no fooling around any more, for no fates, of any ilk are going to put up with my carelessness too many times.  Enough is enough and I shan’t try it again. Hard to believe, but it really did happen.  Just as I say.

ethelbrad@comcast.net