Chapter 9

I tied the gallon gas can to the handle of the mower next to the scooby-doo thermos I had filled with water. I put the Rake on top and headed down the driveway. Only to have to stop and run back to leave Kevin a note saying I was out mowing lawns and would be back around dinner time.

I didn’t have a clear plan but I had become somewhat fixated on doing something to help with the Hospital bills I had caused. So just headed down the street and started knocking on any door with a lawn that looked ready for a cut. Four hours later and I had cut 5 front lawns and was out of gas in both the mower and gas can. I was hot, dirty, and tired. I started home pushing the mower when a truck pulled up beside me, It was Kevin.

“How bout I give you a lift home”

I was bone tired and gladly accepted. “Thanks,” I said as we lifted the mower into the back.” Remembering the empty fuel tanks I asked if we could stop at a gas station before heading home and he said “Sure”.

We climbed in and I asked why he had come out to pick me up.

He said was going to get my brother since it was dinner time and decided to look down a few streets and see if could spot me. We pulled into the station and I jumped out to get the gas can out of the back. Kevin filled the can and I told him I need to fill the mower before he hung up the hose. I was going to fill the mower from the can and then let him refill the can but he just reached over and the side of the truck and carefully added fuel to the mower.

As he was finishing I told him I would be right back and I ran in to pay. I had $25.00 and I was going to pay my own fuel costs. I was standing in line behind some guy with ice and beer and just thinking about how long it has been since I had seen a place that let you pump and then pay. The ubiquitous - pay before you pump - stickers on every gas pump had always seemed to exist.

A buck-fifty lighter and starting to feel muscle aches in places I was sure I didn’t even have muscle and we were headed over to pick up my brother. “So did you get many lawns”? Kevin asked without even looking over at me. “Five” I answered. “You know I don’t know if they needed a lawn service or just thought how much nicer it would be not to be out in the summer sun.”

“People will pay for what they don’t know how to do and what they don’t want to do.” Kevin said and that triggered a memory of something I read once. A Guy pulls into a gas station in his expensive car and gets out and starts adding fuel and as he is standing there he remembers his Dad was always riding him about his grades. “If you don’t go to College you will just wind up pumping gas for a living”. I smiled thinking I couldn’t even remember the last time I had seen a full-service gas station.

I just sat there as Kevin went in to get my brother. My brother scrambled in from the driver’s side and looked at me and said “You stink.” “Sit down and shut up Captain Obvious” I replied without even raising my head or looking at him.

We had been driving a few minutes when my brother looked over and asked me “Who’s Captain Obvious?” Shit, shit, shit, I thought, was that even a saying now? Probably not. Dam I have to be more careful about what just falls out of my mouth. “nobody, just something I read somewhere” I answered him.