My faith in humanity is restored...

Before I relate my little tale of woe, let me assure you that from now on I will be checking my bank account before I go to the gas station...

So, my little tale goes something like this:

As you may or may not know, I have been spending a lot of money on Flash (both in vet bills and feed) trying to get him back up to a weight that I am comfortable with. Because of this fact there was very little money left over after I paid rent and his feed bill. I went grocery shopping over the weekend for a few odds and ends to get me through until payday and the end result is that my bank account was down to ¢.54.

Not a lot. But still something.

I was kindly loaned $40 to give me a bit more of a cushion until payday. Typically I would have just waited until Friday, but I was low on gas and ¢.54 is not a lot. The $40 went into the bank.

Later that night I got in my car to go feed Flash. As I was pulling out of my driveway my car beeped to let me know that I was close to empty. So on my way up to the pasture I decided to stop at the gas station and fill my tank. I handed the gas attendant my card. She stuck it in the pump thingy and then handed it back to me (along with 2 biscuits for the pups). I waited for my tank to fill. She put the pump back and closed my gas hatch and just as I was pulling out she flagged me down.

Unsure of what was going on, I stopped and rolled down my window. She then tells me my card was declined. What?!? You mean you filled the tank anyway knowing the card was declined? Yup, she did. Her excuse? She thought it was an error with the pump, not my card.

I immediately pull up my online banking and see that the funds are there... but they are pending. I totally freak out. And, of course the station is completely packed so many people are witnessing this little tale of horrors unfold.

The attendant then calls over the more senior attendant who then informs me that I have to pay before I leave. I explain to him that I have no way to do that. I don't have credit cards... haven't had one in over 10 years (although I might have to rethink that after this whole mess). The boss guy tells me if I leave he'll call the police. I say fine, call the police. Take the gas back. Whatever!! but I can't pay for it. He just walks off and says it's not his problem.

So, I get back in my car and have a melt-down (tears included). While I'm balling my eyes out I'm trying to frantically think of what to do... and who to call. And honestly, I didn't want to call anyone because it was so humiliating... but I realized I couldn't sit there until the next day.

So I called Ally, who upon hearing my state of distress thinks that Flash has died... which kinda put things in perspective a bit. She agreed to come bail me out and I hung up the phone. When I look up there is a woman standing at my window. I roll my window down and she says she heard about my plight and wondered if she could pay my gas bill for me.

I was totally blown away. This woman (may the angels smile down upon her) didn't know me from Adam and here she was offering to help me out. It was awesome... and very humbling. Sure, humanity can be sick and cruel... but it can also be kind and compassionate. Again, it was awesome.

I thanked her profusely for even offering and then explained that a friend was on the way. She gave me a little pat on the shoulder, wished me a better day and went on her way. At about that time, Ally pulled up and paid the (jackass) attendant. I gave her a big hug and thanked her from the bottom of my heart for bailing me out of an embarrassing situation. She, in turn, invited me over for dinner and lots of baby cuddling (she just had a baby 3 months ago)...

The little angel and I a few days ago... isn't she the cutest?

(ignore my hair... it was a very long day)

Gotta admit, when I get to cuddling that little bug that I start thinking that having one wouldn't be such a bad thing... but that's a whole 'nuther blog. Plus when she starts crying I just hand her back to mom. If I were mom, who would I hand her off to?

Anywho... after hanging out with them for the evening I finally headed up to feed Flash. He was not impressed with my tardiness but once I explained to him what was going on, he conceded that it was not the best of nights for me... or at least I think he did. He might have just been happy to get his mash. Tough to tell.

And like I said at the beginning of this post, I shall be using that mobile banking feature much more frequently from now on. 

Now if I could just shake this feeling of being such a loser...