Summary

The narrative recounts a humorous anecdote about a man, Barrabee, who receives an ExxonMobil gift card from his friend Carl as a thank you gift, only to find it has an insufficient balance for a full tank of gas, leading to an unexpected outcome and a subsequent gesture of goodwill from Carl.

Abstract

Barrabee hosts his college friend Carl during his visit to Pennsylvania, and in return, Carl sends him an ExxonMobil gift card worth $100, which is a practical and generous gift compared to their usual humorous exchanges. However, when Barrabee attempts to use the card, he discovers it only has a$ 5.45 balance remaining, which is not enough to cover the cost of a full tank of gas. This leads to a comical interaction at the gas station and Barrabee ends up paying for the gas with his Visa card. Later, he receives another gift card from Carl for $25, which may imply Carl's acknowledgment of the initial card's insufficiency or a playful continuation of their gift-giving tradition.

Opinions

The author, Barrabee, views the ExxonMobil gift card as a thoughtful and practical gift, especially in the context of rising gas prices.
Carl's gift of the first gift card is seen as both generous and sensitive to the current economic situation.
The discovery of the gift card's low balance is met with humor and mild frustration, as Barrabee had been counting on using the card for a full tank of gas.
The cashier's reaction to the situation, with a gum-exposing smile, suggests a sense of amusement or indifference to the customer's predicament.
Barrabee's decision to tip the cashier despite the inconvenience shows his good nature and appreciation for the service.
The receipt of the second gift card from Carl is interpreted as a gesture of guilt or a continuation of their playful exchanges, with Barrabee expressing gratitude for Carl's thoughtfulness.

Gas Pains

How does it feel to drop $70.00 plus at the pump for a fill-er-up?

My old college roomy, Carl, came up from where he’s living in Mexico to Pennsylvania for a visit. This happens about once every 5 or 6 years. The mission is repeated by me going the other way with about the same frequency.

The one difference in the pilgrimages is that Carl has numerous relatives living in the Philadelphia area. He usually uses my condo as a home base, rents a car and visits with as much family as he’s able to fit in.

After the trips, we both say how great it was to see each other and the host usually gets a small but thoughtful gift in the mail as a “bread and butter” courtesy. I’ve been on the receiving end of a painted gourd, a bullwhip, an unwearable, outside the Pampas, sombrero; the giving end of a snowball globe with the Liberty Bell inside, a Phillies hat, a Ben Franklin bobblehead among other impractical things.

All joke tokens, unused or never worn but appreciated by the both of us.

Last month, when Carl was here for the week we developed a routine of morning visits to the Exxon station to get coffee, a doughnut and/or some other self indulgence edible. We, like everyone else, watched the price of gas rapidly rise.

Carl dutifully drove his rented car during the afternoon to drop in on as many relatives in the Philadelphia-Wilmington area as he could fit in the week he was here.

Seeing Carl is always a trip in itself. He’s da bomb!

When I got the small envelope with all the exotic stamps plastered in the top right hand corner, I kinda figured it was Carl’s thank you note.

However, when I tore it open I was pleasantly surprised at its contents

The note:

Barrabee,

Thanks for putting me up for the week.

Or should I say:

Putting up with me?

Hope the enclosed helps with inflation.

Your friend,

Carl

The enclose was an ExxonMobil gift card for $100!

WOW! That’s a helluva lot more practical than a bull whip!

How sensitive of him! One hundred bucks, that’s meaningful.

I drove a little bit more than I would have that week knowing I had the gift card to help me feed the trusty Subaru.

I waited until the little warning light came on signaling the emptiness of my tank before I pulled into the Exxon station on the corner.

I did not trust myself to figure out the vagaries of using the card in the pump. Questions like: how would it register credit when I only pumped in my $65 or $70 worth ran through my mind.

I approached the cashier in the convenience store attached to the gas pumps, I’d have him ring it up.

I picked up a coffee and a doughnut, produced my $100 gift card and requested authoritatively, “Fill-up on pump #4.”

The cashier took my card, went though the necessary machinations and came back with the following news:

Sir, this gift card has $5.45 left on it.

Silence.

What?

“The balance on this card is $5.45. You can get the coffee, a doughnut and about a quarter of a gallon on pump #4,” the clerk informed me curling up his lips revealing a gum exposing smile, much like a horse.

“Fuck!” I grumbled.

Sir?

“Luck” I said, “bad luck to not have enough money left on the card.”

“Yes, sir, bad luck!” clerk agreeing amiably.

Epilogue:

I put the whole tab, $79.67 on my Visa.

The clerk gave me 5 ones, a quarter, and 2 dimes . The quarter and 2 dimes I put in the glass tip jar on the counter.

Was the whole thing a mistake or was Carl counting my appreciating the cards high value but never using it?

A week later there was a letter in my post office box, it had strange stamps in its right hand corner.

Inside was a new ExxonMobil gift card from Carl.

It was in the amount of $25.00.

Guilt?

I thanked Carl the next time I talked to him.

This story was self-published 4/16/22