I am infatuated with the guy who pumps my gas. No, no, no.
Not in love with the guy; just infatuated.
When I stop to get gas, he smiles and greets me and says,
"How are you doing, my dear?"
I know as I admit this that every feminist whacko out there is rolling
in her Jimmy Choos or her Army/Navy military-issue camouflage steel-toed
shit-kickers, because lord knows there isn't a feminist in the world who would
be caught dead wearing sensible shoes.
But, damnit, I like the way he talks to me. I like that he calls me "my dear"
and not "dearie." It takes
decades off my actual age with that simple greeting.
Before he even starts pumping the gas for me (which I also
like), he says, "Another day in Paradise, right?" It doesn't matter if it's sunny, raining,
snowing, or whether flowers are blooming or bombs are exploding or the sky is
falling. He is happy, everyone should be
happy, and since we all apparently woke up breathing this morning, then it
truly is another day in Paradise.
Sometimes when I drive by the station he spots my car,
smiles, and waves. If this happens first
thing in the morning on my commute to work, it makes my whole day better. No matter how rotten a morning I'm having,
regardless of the disasters that have occurred even before I leave my driveway,
if the guy who pumps my gas waves to me while I'm sitting at the light, I know
my day is going to be fine. It's like
being knighted for the day: "I
hereby dub thee Another Day in Paradise … by osmosis!"
Now before you think I'm having some kind of mad affair with
the (presumably) married gas station guy, let me point out that he calls all of
the female patrons "my dear," and he exclaims to everyone that it's
just "another day in Paradise."
And yes, if I'm truthful, I have
seen him wave to other cars. I know in
my heart that he isn't a one-vehicle kind of guy. He's very altruistic with the sharing of his
good mood, and I deeply I admire him for that.
But if I'm going to be really, really truthful, he is the man all women wish they could
find: He's handy, he's attentive, he's
flirtatious without being crude, he knows what women want and need, and he is
willing to do all the work and with a smile on his face. With gas prices where they are right now, he
may well be the guy with the Midas touch.
I just had him fill the gas tank this morning; I think I'll
go drive around for a few hours and hours and hours. If you're looking for me later, I'll be at
the station parked at the pumps. You
can't miss me - I'll be the one blushing while handing over my credit card.
