"E" Really Means Empty
Jul. 11th, 2008 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansSometimes, "E" really does mean empty! I left Houston after work with just under a quarter of a tank of gas. About 50 miles out, I missed the exit for a station where the price is usually reasonable. I decided I could make it another 23 miles before filling up. I passed through Chappel Hill and didn't stop because the gas was $4.03/gallon. That is very high for our area and it pisses me off that the price has climbed beyond 4 bucks!!
I was only 10 miles from home, so I kept going. You guessed it. Five miles from home, I ran out of gas and had to pull over to the side of the road. It was 96 degrees and humid and there I am in a dress shirt, slacks and tie. Sometimes, I just have to learn a lesson the hard way ... *sigh* .... I called AAA and the operator in California told me they had a person in Brenham (remember, I'm already in the outskirts of my town) and they can have someone to me with gas in just 45 minutes! 45 minutes?!?!?!?
I called my folks and Dad found me on the West side of Hwy 290. I was only 3 miles from their house. He pulled up behind me to tell me that Mom thought he'd gotten gas for the mower today, but he hadn't done it yet. He had the can in the back, but it was empty. "Don't worry, Neil. I'll be right back!" Thirty minutes later he returns. Total time waiting for Dad in the heat - 45 minutes! 45 minutes?!?!?!
I put a gallon of gas in my car from Dad's portable container, got safely to a gas station where I knew the price was $3.91/gallon and filled up. I left work in Houston at 5:30pm. I got home at 8pm. By the way, the lady with AAA told me she had received several calls today from Texas from folks who ran out of gas trying to find a better price.
The bright side to all of this ... I did have a lovely young Hispanic woman with two little girls and a Chihuahua in her SUV stop to ask if I needed help. Very sweet and unexpected! I could tell my Dad was really pleased that he was needed, was able to help out his son. Also, when I got home, my neighbor's grandsons had mowed and edged my yard. YAY!
I'm still pissed about the price of gas, but I've learned a lesson. When my Caliber hits E, it means business.
I was only 10 miles from home, so I kept going. You guessed it. Five miles from home, I ran out of gas and had to pull over to the side of the road. It was 96 degrees and humid and there I am in a dress shirt, slacks and tie. Sometimes, I just have to learn a lesson the hard way ... *sigh* .... I called AAA and the operator in California told me they had a person in Brenham (remember, I'm already in the outskirts of my town) and they can have someone to me with gas in just 45 minutes! 45 minutes?!?!?!?
I called my folks and Dad found me on the West side of Hwy 290. I was only 3 miles from their house. He pulled up behind me to tell me that Mom thought he'd gotten gas for the mower today, but he hadn't done it yet. He had the can in the back, but it was empty. "Don't worry, Neil. I'll be right back!" Thirty minutes later he returns. Total time waiting for Dad in the heat - 45 minutes! 45 minutes?!?!?!
I put a gallon of gas in my car from Dad's portable container, got safely to a gas station where I knew the price was $3.91/gallon and filled up. I left work in Houston at 5:30pm. I got home at 8pm. By the way, the lady with AAA told me she had received several calls today from Texas from folks who ran out of gas trying to find a better price.
The bright side to all of this ... I did have a lovely young Hispanic woman with two little girls and a Chihuahua in her SUV stop to ask if I needed help. Very sweet and unexpected! I could tell my Dad was really pleased that he was needed, was able to help out his son. Also, when I got home, my neighbor's grandsons had mowed and edged my yard. YAY!
I'm still pissed about the price of gas, but I've learned a lesson. When my Caliber hits E, it means business.
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