Interesting exchange somewhere south of Chattanooga...

by Sarge , Central Misery, Thursday, August 16, 2012, 09:26 (4322 days ago)

Monday night. I think it was around 2330 Eastern.

Wife & I were driving to Atlanta and she wanted to stop at a bathroom. I wheeled into a gas station and stayed with the car while she went inside... there are maybe three cars there, including us. I notice an old black Sunbird parked near the building almost to the back and it has a couple of white guys in their late 20's. They are watching me instead of the blonde in shorts who just walked out to the pumps... THAT ain't right. The passenger gets out and he's pretty scruffy, leans back in talking to the driver... as soon as the girl drives off, he starts my way with a shit-eating grin on his face. I punch the window down (I hate getting glass in my eyes) trip the seat belt and ease my shirt-tail up over the Charter 38. Also grabbed a speedloader from the center console, shift it to my left hand.

Grinning boy looks back toward his buddy and I take the opportunity quietly open the door and step out with my hand covering the gun butt. He looks surprised, when he looks back from the car and sees me standing there 20 feet away. The first words out of his mouth are "Hey mister, we ain't robbers or nothing..." I said "I'm an old cop. If you are, I've got that covered." He puts his hands up and says "Sorry, we just f-ed up and we really need 10 bucks worth of gas to get back to Sweetwater. I you wanted to put it on a card, that'd be OK. Sorry man..."

I said "No. Ask somebody else." He says 'Sorry man' & walks back to the car. Both of them are shaking their heads. I dig in my pocket and find 7 bucks, watch them a few minutes and they don't start the car. So I walked the money over to the passenger side and both of them immediately put their hands where I can see them... driver is scruffier than the passenger. I said "Here you go, boys. I've been in a fix a couple of times myself." The driver says "Thanks man, we'll get the other three bucks. I just know it takes ten bucks to get back to Sweetwater."

"Sweetwater Texas?" I ask? "Tennessee" says the passenger.

Off we go into the night.