My buddy, Doug, immediately went for the windshield and hood duty...disgruntled I slid into the tire pressure and pump the gas position; this was the two man approach (we had three man, and even four man in those days).
I wondered for a second, why Doug went for the windshield and hood. In 110 degree heat, this was not the ideal duty. Then I saw her.
Next to a woman no doubt her mother, was a beautiful girl, with an incredibly low cut blouse.
"Shit", I murmured as I put the gas nozzle in the slot.
And Doug, well he was lingering over the windshield, staring directly down her blouse. She saw him too, smiled and actually bent forward to get something on the console. "Oh my God", I said out loud, as Doug no doubt got the coveted "N" shot.
Doug then moved to the hood, opened it and looked up as the woman said, "Check the coolant".
I knew he wouldn't do it, because a car in 110 degree heat, in Redding, always showed hot when it pulled into our station. We had been trained NOT to check the coolant, because you could get burned when the radiator spewed hot liquid all over the lot.
But incredibly, Doug turned the cap, and up came the coolant, all over the place. He stepped back, allowing it to finish, knowing that the driver could not see because the hood was up. Then he, oh my God, then he took the water hose from the island, and poured cool water into the radiator.
"Doug", I yelled, but too late, I heard the pop as the radiator housing cracked. You see, cold water on the hot cast iron housing, would cause a crack.
Now we had a pickle. AND A NASH OF ALL THINGS! There were no spare parts for a Nash in Potterville.
It took my father, a service manager at a local Chrysler Dealership, calling a welder who was closed, getting them to do a special job and four hours before we got that Nash on the road. Meanwhile, as I am running around trying to fix what Doug's leering did, he sits in the air conditioned office, soothing the mother's anger at his stupidity, and making a date with the damn girl.
What does this have to do with Potterville, you are asking?
But incredibly, Doug turned the cap, and up came the coolant, all over the place. He stepped back, allowing it to finish, knowing that the driver could not see because the hood was up. Then he, oh my God, then he took the water hose from the island, and poured cool water into the radiator.
"Doug", I yelled, but too late, I heard the pop as the radiator housing cracked. You see, cold water on the hot cast iron housing, would cause a crack.
Now we had a pickle. AND A NASH OF ALL THINGS! There were no spare parts for a Nash in Potterville.
It took my father, a service manager at a local Chrysler Dealership, calling a welder who was closed, getting them to do a special job and four hours before we got that Nash on the road. Meanwhile, as I am running around trying to fix what Doug's leering did, he sits in the air conditioned office, soothing the mother's anger at his stupidity, and making a date with the damn girl.
What does this have to do with Potterville, you are asking?
Well today, in the local paper, the front page was filled with articles about the price of gas. Of course, in Potterville, this all is the fault of the Democrats.
Potterville, you see, is highly dependent on I-5, just as it was beginning to be when I worked in that service station many years ago. We live and die by the automobile culture, having sprawled in all directions, just like the L.A. basin.
Many people, in the past forty years or so, have moved up to Potterville from Southern California. They have brought with them the worship of car culture (we have Kool April Nights) and their conservative politics as well. Shasta County, up until about 1972, elected Democrats.
Many people, in the past forty years or so, have moved up to Potterville from Southern California. They have brought with them the worship of car culture (we have Kool April Nights) and their conservative politics as well. Shasta County, up until about 1972, elected Democrats.
Now we elect nothing but conservative Republicans, who worship the car, L.A. sprawl, culture.
First one shopping center, then another, were built. Some of us wondered aloud, where the people were going to come from to support the thousands of square feet of retail real estate?
First one shopping center, then another, were built. Some of us wondered aloud, where the people were going to come from to support the thousands of square feet of retail real estate?
But, we were shouted down as liberal tree huggers, who were against progress.
So, we built and we sprawled. What worked for L.A. would work here!
And today, the paper went on and on about how gas is so expensive, how people cannot drive to work, cannot drive to the shopping malls that are miles away from their homes. The paper hoped that people will travel this summer, Potterville's main economic attraction now is tourism, travel on I-5 is its lifeblood.
So, we built and we sprawled. What worked for L.A. would work here!
And today, the paper went on and on about how gas is so expensive, how people cannot drive to work, cannot drive to the shopping malls that are miles away from their homes. The paper hoped that people will travel this summer, Potterville's main economic attraction now is tourism, travel on I-5 is its lifeblood.
We depend on a freeway for our very existence!
But the only way to get here, is by car. We have a small airport, the trains still come through, but with two passenger pickups a day, at 3:00 in the morning!
You see, the oil companies long ago destroyed train passenger service. In fact, the bus depot is gone too; same reason.
So, Potterville is totally dependent on the car culture; right when the world is running out of gas.
The L.A. mentality made Potterville a gas stop, on the way to no where.
But the only way to get here, is by car. We have a small airport, the trains still come through, but with two passenger pickups a day, at 3:00 in the morning!
You see, the oil companies long ago destroyed train passenger service. In fact, the bus depot is gone too; same reason.
So, Potterville is totally dependent on the car culture; right when the world is running out of gas.
The L.A. mentality made Potterville a gas stop, on the way to no where.
No comments:
Post a Comment