Givers and Takers

                                           Conned by A Gas Can


                                                   by N.A. Vincent


                      AN EPISODE OF A GULLIBLE MOTORIST


    Driving on city streets and highways used to be fairly uneventful. No one darted across the street just as you zoomed by. No one stopped her car dead in the outside lane of the freeway while the rest of us were torpedoing 60 miles per hour. This happened to me. Both in the same day. Good thing I glanced back to the street and saw this guy leaping across the traffic. He barely made it. Then, I saw this car stalled along the freeway edge. That's when the lady directly in front of me saw it too. And stopped: Dead in the water. Just in time she turned onto the shoulder while I swerved around to the outside lane and saved us both. Twice in the same day. Can you believe it?
     But that's not all. Coming out of WalMart in Port Orchard, a motorist waving a gas can and looking pathetic gestured on the corner of Lund. Meaning clear: Need money for gas and oil for my car, he hollered through the window. Ok, so I dug into my purse and pulled out the Fiver he said he'd need. He made as if he were walking away to get said needed stuff at the Safeway Station right there.
     Well, my leaving WalMart was temporary to drop off The New Kid On The Block (month old baby boy) and His Mom and His GreatGreat Gram and all of Our Three Dogs. (It was a Two Grams and a Three Dog Day) just over a block or two at home. So I was going back to WalMart to pick up the New Kid's dad, and what do I see? Here's this Same Dude standing on the same Street corner Waving the Same Gas Can, tricking Another Gullible Motorist into,......guess what? Well, I peered over that direction and I think he ducked his head so as I'm not supposed to see him. Well, I don't think that worked, because I saw him and I think he saw that I saw him or at least he Thought I saw him.......I slowed down a bit, wondering how I could Warn All Those Gullible Motorists in line to turn.......
    I picked up Dad and saw The Gas Can Robber climbing into a car much newer than mine, parked behind the Service Station, still Ducking His Head. He pretended it wasn't me. I pretended it wasn't Him.
    But it Was Him.
    The moral of this true story is: Beware of Dudes Waving Gas Cans on Street Corners.
     Or else drive around the block a couple of times to see how long they're still there before you dole out.