strange people

So, I have been planning my wedding and have been super financially strapped. I have borrowed from the electric bill money to pay the cable bill and borrowed from the cable money to pay the phone bill and so on. Needless to say, I am officially broke. The point is that I decided to coast twenty-five miles on gas fumes and ran out of gas. I got very lucky and coasted into a gas station that was, well...no longer a gas station. Shit! Not so lucky...nothing but cement mounds that used to be the home of overpriced fuel.

Not to worry. It was literally (you can count it) 10 seconds, immediately after I yanked the emergency break and sent my poor parched Hyundai into a violent, bouncy halt, that a wiry, toothless, greasy man shuffled quickly and with purpose to my rescue. "Did you run outa gas there ma'am," he blurted as though he had been rehearsing. Hmmm...strange. "I did", I replied. "Well you should only need three dollars to getcha to the gas station and I've got my gas can here" he continued. This guy is prepared, I thought. So, I handed over a five dollar bill and off he went with diligent purpose. Feeling like a dumb damsel, I waited for him to come back while the butt of my mini SUV teetered slightly into the please-don't hit-me zone of the turning lane.

The man returned with the gas can, stuck the hose into it and sucked profusely to draw the gas into the hose. Like a pro, he lifted the can, inserted the hose into the tank and waited patiently as he filled the tank with the three dollars of gas. He shifted his feet, darted eye contact and sighed a few times. I felt awkward and just looked the other way as though I was in deep thought about the being fiscally responsible. Finally, the gas was in the tank. He removed the hose and exclaimed, "Now listen, do not go across the street and get gas. It is very bad gas. Did you know that these companies make no money on the gas they sell, so they look for the lowest and cheapest quality possible?" He continued excitedly, "It really is a shame they do that, but just remember, you do not need to go any higher than super unleaded. Now your car should start and watch out for your gas." He darted off to assume the stance on the curb outside the convenience store's door as if to wait for the next weary traveler that rolled gasless into his station.

I cranked the car and pulled off and couldn't help but wonder, was he sad because he was parted from his own gas tanks and left with the barren sadness of cement stumps? He had a story to tell and I was there to hear it. Preach on, man, preach on.

Strange people. I love them.