After a considerable amount of pondering, I finally came up with something I had at age 16 that my “just turned 16 and now driving” niece doesn’t have that would definitely rate a “that’s so-o-o cool.”
Remember the full service gas station? You used to pull into the local Sohio or Pure gas station and “the service station attendant” would run out to greet you, take your order and pump the gas. Then he would clean the windshield, wipe off the headlights, check the oil and make sure the tires looked good. In busy times the attendant might be servicing 3 or 4 cars at the same time, and usually got the pumps shut off for just the amount of gas you requested.
I can remember getting that kind of service when I just wanted $2 worth of gas so my folks wouldn’t know I had driven the car further than I was supposed to. Now, I spend $35 dollars to pump my own gas in my go-to-work clothes and reek of gasoline for most of the day.
In Oregon and New Jersey it’s illegal to pump your own gas. Those in favor of the law argue that it provides jobs, affords safer handling of a hazardous liquid, and reduces theft. I’m not totally sure about the logic, but in the middle of January the “no self-serve” model sure sounds good to me.
I was just about ready to call my niece and tease her a bit about this luxury I enjoyed as a 16-year-old when I hear a familiar voice from the other room.
“Honey, the next time you go to town, take my car, it’s almost out of gas.”
Come to think of it, some of us still have full-service gas stations in Ohio.
A. Reader
Related post: 16 Again
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