Guardian of Knowledge

Friend or Foe

It didn’t take a college degree for David to figure out what part of town his customer was from. His shiny new Jaguar XKE announced that loud and clear. What surprised him was someone on his social level reading a dystopian novel about the rich controlling the poor with a drug called soma. David’s perusal came to an abrupt halt the moment the driver spoke.

“I’m glad your place is open; this baby is on empty. What’s with these other stations? They look permanently closed.”

Three nearby stations had shut down several years before David started work there. He asked the identical question, and his manager explained the reason why. Since this guy asked David the same thing, he decided to share.

“Those stations were owned by independent operators who leased their buildings and services to the big oil companies. Exxon owns this property outright. When Big Oil decided to double the price of gas, they did it by creating a shortage. When the tanks at the independent stations ran dry, it would take several days before they were refilled. This company-owned station received 5,000 gallons every night. It didn’t take long to kill the competition. Big Oil got everything they wanted, higher prices and less competition.”

Alex stared at his dashboard for several minutes before commenting.

“Before we go any further, I’m Alex, and I see by your name tag you’re David. I know this sounds harsh, but making a profit is what business is all about. My family taught me it’s a sink or swim world, and your neighbors weren’t capable of staying afloat.”

“Nice to meet you, Alex. Yes, that’s one way of looking at it, especially when the people making the decisions are sitting in a boardroom hundreds of miles away and are not affected by the results. I know one of those decisions will have an impact on you in a couple of months.”

“Me, I have nothing to do with gas companies.”

Ah, but you will. Two months from now, this shop will be converted to a pump-your-own gas convenience store. Actually, all the stations around the country are converting to self-serve. It’s like you said, it’s all about profit and loss.”

“Pump my own gas! That won’t make my sister happy. I can see her standing in the rain or snow with a gas pump in her hand, water dripping from her perfectly styled hair. See, my friend, some good does come from change.” Alex said with a snarky grin.

David didn’t know the lady, but the mental picture Alex painted did make him smile.

“Okay, Alex, all filled up; that’ll be $5.25.

“Prices have gone up again, especially for hi-test. I don’t have any coins, so keep the change. By the way, what are you going to do for work once this place gets converted?”

“I’m not sure, but whatever it is has to work in with my studies. I’ll find something. Maybe a spot in the library will open up by then.”

“My family owns several businesses, and they are always looking for help if you don’t mind the noise molding machines make.”

“Thanks for the offer, Alex, but I have no interest in working on those things. My grandfather lost a hand in one, and I have no desire to carry on the family tradition. Enjoy the rest of your evening. It was nice meeting you, and great car!”

“Good meeting you as well, David. Take my card just in case you ever want to get together for a drink. Someone is always around to answer the phone. Good luck with your job search.”

Alex pulled away from the pumps, and David walked back inside the station, placing the card in his pocket. He had a feeling they would meet again.

This will be the last instalment of this story for a while. I hope to eventually make it into a book, so I don't think posting multiple segments will work.