Pay at the Pump....Or Not

Every day of your life, you will learn something new, do something you've never done, or in my case, both. Take today, for example. While on the way to Indy to watch the state Winter Guard preliminaries, I made a pit-stop in Anderson for gas and a drink. To save time, I did something I rarely do--I left the pump unattended while I went in and got my soda. A few minutes later, I returned to my car, got in, and took off. I hadn't gotten one-and-a-half feet when I was jolted by a sickening, grinding, twisting sound. It didn't take long for the horror of what happened to dawn on me. In thirty-six years of driving, I have never de-hosed a gas pump. My record came to an abrupt end.

                                                                   

I got out of the car, and stood frozen not knowing what to do. Out came the young cashier, walking towards me with a smile, and through the window, I could see the second cashier on the phone. The young fella could see that I was one freak away from a full-on freak-out, and he seemed concerned. "Ma'am? Are you okay? Can I get you a coffee? A donut? A Valium?" We walked back into the store, and he reassured me everything was all right. He then mentioned that this wasn't the worst thing that had happened there all day. True to his word, he let me choose a large cappuccino and a donut. Free. The other clerk got off of the phone with the manager. All was fine. So, off I headed out the door with the cashier, and my free complimentary donut and coffee.
 

Once in the car, and calmed down, I began to muse about the new things I learned in the twenty minutes I was at that gas station: 1). Those hoses are specially made to break away to accommodate idiots like me. 2). Despite how bad it seems, you won't be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 3). Not only will you not have to pay for any damage, no angry store manager will show up escorted by police to take you away. 4). You won't lose your license. 5). Not only will you not be out money, you will be given refreshments for your trouble. 6). That really WASN'T the worst thing that happened at that gas station today---earlier this morning, their detached car wash burned to the ground. 7). Yes. Car washes can burn.
 

Pulling out, I closed my eyes, basked in the aroma of my free hazelnut cappuccino, and took a bite out of my donut. Life was good. I looked in my rear view mirror at the carnage I was leaving behind--the smiling attendant holding the destroyed gas hose in one hand, waving to me with the other, and the faint smoke coming from the still-smoldering ruins of what used to be a car wash now surrounded by yellow caution tape in the background. Yes, another day---new experiences gained, lessons learned----my work here is done.