Gas and Dog Bones

There is no gas station in Douglas.  I can drive here and there and back and forth all week and never pass a gas station.  Sometimes I'm running on empty.

This happened to me one night this week.  I was on empty.  But luckily, I was headed to a town with a gas station.

I pulled up and started to pump my gas.  But it was just click, thunk, click, thunk, click, thunk.  The pump did not want to share it's gas with me.  I thought that there must be a trick to this.  But it just kept up....click, thunk, click, thunk, click, thunk, click, thunk.

I got to $3 and I was ready to walk away.  I was so frustrated.

But I knew that I couldn't stop.  Three dollars worth of gas would get me no where.  I had to carry on.

I fiddled with the nozzle and I twisted my arm and I held the lever just a certain way and then the gas started to flow.

It clicked off a few more times on me but I decided that $20 was my goal.  I had wanted to get more than that by my hand was starting to scream in pain.

I did it.  $20.01.

I grabbed my wallet and headed into the store to pay.

The nice clerk glanced out the window and said, "Oh, you have kids."

I said, "Um. yeah."

I wasn't sure what she was getting at.  I just wanted to pay for my gas and go to the next town and get more gas.  Enough gas to get me through the week.  I was taking Johanna to play the fiddle at a retirement home and I wanted to get there on time.

She said, "We don't give treats to kids.  Just to dogs."

I said, "Oh." 

I didn't want a treat.  I wanted to pay for my gas.

Then she said, "Do you have a dog?"

And I said, "Um, yeah."

And then she pulled a container full of 'Milk Bone' dog biscuits out from under the cash and asked me if I would like to take a treat home for my dog.

I know she was just trying to give exceptional customer service.

I have a thing with dog food.  I read once that it usually has salmonella on it.  I ALWAYS wash my hands after scooping out the dog food...and I've warned the kids about it too.  Now, I was faced with taking this dog bone.  I couldn't refuse the bone...I had just told her that I had a dog.  She would think I was a terrible dog owner if I didn't want to take a bone home to my dog.

I took the bone.

Paid for my gas.

Went back to the van.  Put the bone in the drink holder and sighed a big sigh.

Johanna took a look at the bone and said, "What??  Why did you get a bone?"

I said, "Because they don't have treats for kids...only for dogs."

How do I get in these bizarre situations?

Brenda