The older I become, the more I realize just how much I am like my Papaw E.O. Both of us are awkward, we have the oddest experiences, and we love to tell our stories to others.
There was this one story that made papaw laugh when he told it. It happened to him in the early 1970s. At this time, he and his friend Mr. J were on the board of directors for a local insurance company. They were required to wear suits when they attended the board meetings and they usually rode together.
While they were on their way home after a meeting, Papaw stopped at a car lot. He saw a Lincoln Continental and he wanted to test drive it. He liked bigger cars. No small ones for him. No siree. Anyway, the car salesman gave papaw a dollar to put gas in the Lincoln. Yes, you read that right. It was a one-dollar bill. Back at that time, gas was around thirty to forty cents a gallon. Yes, you read that right too. Nowadays, it’s hard to believe that gas was ever that cheap. Also, getting gas at that time was a totally different experience. You stayed in your car while an attendant pumped your gas. He would also clean your windows and check your tires if you asked. Plus, there were usually maps handy for the traveler. This is why gas stations were also called service stations.
Papaw and Mr. J pull into a service station. Can you imagine how they must’ve looked in their suits while driving the big Continental. An attendant walks up to Papaw’s window. He hands the attendant the money: “A dollar of gas please.” Papaw drove around until he was low on gas again. He didn’t want to take the car back almost empty to the salesman, so he goes back to the same service station. As luck would have it, the same attendant came up to the car. Papaw took a dollar out of his billfold and handed it to him. “A dollar of gas please.” Papaw drove the car back to the car lot and made a deal to trade for the Lincoln. Since the car didn’t have much gas in it, Papaw drove back again to the same gas station. The same attendant walked up to Papaw’s window. “I know, you want another dollar’s worth of gas.”
“….For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
I’m sure the gas attendant thought Papaw and Mr. J were “highfalutin” when he first saw them. But in reality, my papaw and Mr. J were very down to earth. In fact, my papaw was at his happiest when he was out in the cow field while wearing his jeans, a plaid shirt, and a hat. So, be careful and keep in mind that outward appearances can be deceiving. If you have a doubt, pray about it to the Lord for He sees their hearts.
When the attendant made that comment, Papaw was at a loss of words for a few seconds. But not Mr. J for he had a quick wit about him. He leaned over Papaw and said to the attendant: “How about cleaning the windows? And can we have a map for free since we don’t have any more dollar bills?”