Fill'er Up With Love

Fill er Up with Love I remember as a kid, growing up in Indiana, going to our local gas station where the owner knew my parents. We would pullin and be greeted by the heavyset proprietor, named Toby, doing a high-speed waddle to our car. He always asked,... More

Fill er Up with Love I remember as a kid, growing up in Indiana, going to our local gas station where the owner knew my parents. We would pullin and be greeted by the heavyset proprietor, named Toby, doing a high-speed waddle to our car. He always asked, "Fill er up, Bud?" with a big toothy grin, to which my dad always replied, "Yes sir, Toby!" Toby would then begin his normal ritual of pumping the gas, washing the windows, and checking the oil and tire pressure. He never forgot to stop and talk with my dad, look him in the eye, smile, ask him how we all were, and offer a kind compliment. He would invite me into the station, where I always acted surprised to receive a Buffalo-head nickel. I loved going there so much to see Toby, hear his big laugh, and of course get a nickel, which was a lot of cash for a seven-year-old in 1964. My dad was always in a better mood after we left Toby s gas station-it was as if he got filled up too! I have often thought about those trips to the gas Less