explosion?

A conversation with my sister the other night brought back the memory of this story. I searched my old blog til I found it. Hope it makes you laugh!
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The Saturday was a beautiful autumn day – a few clouds, a slight breeze, and a temperature just cool enough to make your toes cold if you were wearing sandals. Not only was the weather beautiful, but the day was following the pattern of a perfect Saturday. I slept in ‘til I couldn’t sleep any more, lounged around my room in my favorite pj’s, drank coffee leisurely as I had my quiet time (not the usual hurried gulping down a mug before chapel), lazily got ready to appear in public, and then headed out of my room fully awake and ready for whatever the day brought my way. My task for the day (Yes, I did have a job to do, even though it was a Saturday.) was to fill one of the vans with gas, and then head to a nearby small town to scout it out, and hopefully to talk the manager of the ice cream shop into a bargain for the group we were planning on bringing the following Monday. (That’s another story for another day…) It would be a nice afternoon out with no planned schedule.

Now, I’m absolutely fine with pumping my own gas – girls do it themselves all the time. I just like be sure that the gas station isn’t scary looking and is in an ok part of town. I managed to get through the construction and detours, pulled into a safe looking station, and began the ordeal of processing a fuel card. The so-called buttons on this pump kept registering two numbers and I swear I only pushed it once! As I was getting the card to work, a guy walked up to the other side of the pump with a gas can and began to fill it. He was a little scruffy looking, but not too scary or anything. A few thoughts ran through my mind, wondering why he needed gas in a gas can, and why he didn’t come in a car. Did he run out of gas somewhere? Had he walked far? Or maybe it’s for his lawn mower... Finally, the fuel card was accepted, and as I began filling the van I forgot about the guy.

Remembering that I needed to find out whether I should take the van to Holly, or if I needed to go back to the Inn and get a car, I got my cell phone out, and called one of the Trans guys while I waited for the tank to fill. As I was talking, I heard a voice behind me. Turning around, I saw the gas can guy. He had his head poked around the pump and was saying something very strongly and insistently. At first I wasn’t going to listen. Why? First, because I was already talking on the phone, and second, because I thought he was some old grungy man with a gas can being weird, trying to act all charming or something. Then what he was saying registered. “You’re gonna blow up!” What in the world? I thought. “You’re not supposed to be talking on a phone while you’re pumping gas! You’re going to explode and blow us all up!” Is this guy for real? Is he crazy? Drunk? High? (In Flint, you never know…) He kept muttering and exclaiming about how I was dangerous and he had to get out of there fast. I just looked at him like “Whatever…”, turned around, and finished my conversation. I could hear the man calling to another person who happened to be pumping gas across the station “She’s gonna blow us up! I’ve got to get out of here! You should leave – fast!” etc, etc. I could barely keep from laughing. He seemed to be dead serious! I think the guy ran away with his full gas can.

Now, I know there are warnings about using your cell phone while pumping gas, but is that for real? Is it really dangerous? Has anyone ever really blown up because they were talking on a cell at a gas pump? For some reason, I don’t think so. (But if you happen to know anything to the contrary, and have proof, please do let me know.) I think it’s just a (very) rare possibility. A warning that has to be out up to avoid stupid lawsuits. The “gas can guy” incident did give me a lasting memory. Every time I think of it, I’ll smile and remember how earnestly that guy believed that he was about to die. I wonder if I’ll ever go to pump gas and not hear in my mind his insistent exclamations of “You’re gonna explode!”
(originally posted on xanga, 9/29/04)