As a simple white trash midwest woman, I know my way around a gas station. Long before the days of your luxury petrol stations like Sheets and Wawa donned every street corner and prior to the conception of Buc-ee's in those investors bellies, I would be making myself at home at the closest pump. Marathon, Shell, BP, Fuelmart, QuikTrip, FriendShip - these are pillars of society. At least for me.
When I was in community college I would sleep at my boyfriend's house so we could stay up late, drink cheap whiskey, and watch his friends play video games for hours. If you can imagine, the kitchen in this place was never well-stocked by any of the six young men that lived there. I learned how to make Michelin-quality dishes out of crackers, condiments, and those weird Chef Boyardee macaronis that came in the little peel-top cups. Sometimes they would forget to pay the bills to their landlord (their literal father) and the utilities would get shut off. The amount of times I would race over to the BP down the road to take a whore's bath in the sink, use the bathroom, and pray they had pads in the dispenser so I wouldn't have to use Chipotle napkins again. All of this at 7:30 in the morning before my opening shift at Fazoli's. Black box dye staining the back of my neck, Canadian Club sweating out of my pores, and a Black and Mild wood tip tucked behind my ear for good luck. Jesus Christ why did I think that living like that was better than staying at my mother's house? That same BP had an absolutely gorgeous stud that worked the register at night. She had a deep voice, short hair, and when I went back to my boyfriend's house I would smoke cigarettes outside so I could stalk her on Facebook. I remember thinking I so badly wished I was with someone who worked at the gas station instead of someone who made me live off the gas station. And maybe that's true, but I think I was also just really gay.
So take my word for it, I know a thing or two about gas stations! All of this preamble to announce there's a new one in my town that just had the grand opening. It's no Sheets, but it's the closest thing we've got. The hot food I grabbed there for dinner tonight...If I had had access to food like that when I was unwillingly eating at gas stations for every meal I would have never known struggle. That food was hot and fresh and delicious. They had a tap wall just for different kinds of iced coffee. There was a fountain drink dispenser just for different kinds of teas! Not to sound like a bumpkin, but this is the best thing that's happened to this town in a while, and it's right down the road! When I was waiting for my food I befriended a sweet, dorky girl who goes to the college in town and she told me she had been to this gas station every day since they opened, she was on a first name basis with the entire staff. It hasn't been more than two weeks, that's dedication. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make a rewards account for my new third space.
Bravo!!
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