Nocona Texas, 1969: Bob Standley is my brother-in-law, because he married my sister Mary. But some time before they got married, when he was in high school, he had a Chevy Malibu.
He had a little job, I think it was at the boot factory, and he had to be very careful with his money. Each week on Saturday, he took $2, and he’d fill up the gas tank — it was a long time ago — and there was money left over to go to the drive-inn movie, and to buy a nasty little cigar called a Swisher Sweet.
Every week he followed this $2 routine, and so as to conserve his money, he drove his car only when he had to, so that the gas would last through the week.
But then one Saturday, something strange happened.
He was at the gas station, and he started to gas up.
But the gas splashed out of the tank.
He thought he’d made some sort of mistake, so he stuck the nozzle in again, and gave it a squirt.
Again the gas splashed out of the tank.
Suddenly he realized what had happened.
Just like saving money for a rainy day, his conserving the fuel had left him with almost a full tank, and the tank just couldn’t hold any more gas!
So he had the entire $2 still in his hand, today.
That night, he and his friends went to the movie, and they had cokes several times, and then they drove around, all over the place, all night long.
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