aphrodite_mine: barrettes in reddish hair read 'feminist killjoy' (the l word - glasses mcphee)
Marcia ([personal profile] aphrodite_mine) wrote2010-05-27 07:13 pm

On oil

Last night I had a date in Paducah. I got lost on the way there, due to attempting a new route. This resulted in an 1.5 hour drive taking an extra hour, and using up the rest of my gas tank. So, after the date, which went well, I had to fill up before making the trip home.

After getting turned around again (I've been trouble since my brother demanded I give back his GPS) I got back to the highway and decided on Fivestar. I had been thinking earlier that when I got gas eventually I wouldn't fill up at BP--you know, to protest my $20 worth.

Being unfamiliar with Kentucky's branding, I pulled into the station and unscrewed the gas cap. Fivestar... was a BP station. And friends? This is a confession. While I couldn't see another gas station there was certainly another brand nearby (I confirmed this later), however I didn't even consider leaving.

"I'll just get less than $20 dollars," I said to myself, trying to appease the guilt.

I stared at the green and yellow logo while the gas pumped, and pictured in my mind the images of the spill I had just watched on television days before. I grumbled under my breath about how stupid BP was. "What an awful company." I watched the numbers flick past. 18... 19...

My hand twitched on the grip.

20...

Twitch... but I didn't release the pressure.

21. Full tank*.

--

The point? Things aren't always what they seem. A fairly innocuous-looking gas station could be a BP, and a liberal-minded girl who talks the talk might really be too lazy to do the right thing when it comes down to real life.

Maybe I'll do better next time.

*Yes, I can get a full tank for around 20 dollars. Yes, my car is awesome and gets about 30 miles to the gallon. Yes, gas is pretty cheep in the Midwest.

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