Buy Your Own Damned Gas @ Thursday, Apr. 08, 2004

So I bought gas at lunch today for $1.80 = which is really $1.81 once you count that .09 cents. Anyway, as I was getting back into my car, another car pulled up to the pump beside me and a girl got out. She said "excuse me" and I thought she only said that because our car doors were so close so I continued to get in my car.

Then she says, "excuse me" again and I looked at her. "Would you happen to have any money at all that we could have for gas?" she asked.

What? I just paid $1.80 for my own gas! Do you think I'm just going to hand over five bucks for some stranger's gas? Noooooooo!

Of course, I didn't think of that quick enough and only replied, "Sorry, I just used the last of my cash."

As I put my wallet back in my purse and started the car, I watched two other people turn her down. I heard her say something about the fact that they were driving to Cincinnati....You know, you probably shouldn't be going there if you can't afford the gas.

That really pissed me off. I'm not one to give money to people who ask for it on the streets - although I give to the Salvation Army during Christmas every time I see one of those damned bell ringers and donate often to the animal shelter back home - because I've dated a few guys who fell for it and we've watched them walk into bars, clutching their newly won cash. I'm certainly not going to give money to two young, very healthy looking people in a nice car so they can drive to Cincy.

And she was asking with no shame whatsoever. Another person who thinks the world owes her. I'd start thinking that way too if I thought it might get somewhere but I'm smart enough to know that it wouldn't.