Post by Rhonda on Jan 24, 2006 22:13:28 GMT -5
The Filling Station
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't
been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. He had no
decorations, no tree, no lights. It was just another day to him. He didn't
hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. There were no
children in his life. His wife had gone. He was sitting there looking at
the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was
all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through. Instead
of throwing the man out, George, Old George as he was known by his
customers, told the man to come and sit by the space heater and warm up.
"Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're
busy. I'll just go" "Not without something hot in your belly," George
turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It
ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew. Made it myself. When you're done
there's coffee and it's fresh."
Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me
be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old 53 Chevy.
Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can
you help me!" said the driver with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with
child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block
looked cracked from the cold; the car was dead. "You ain't going in this
thing," George said as he turned away. "But mister. Please help...." The
door of the office closed behind George as he went in. George went to the
office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He
walked around the building and opened the garage, started the truck and
drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he
said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real
good." George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off
into the night. George turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I
gave em the truck. Their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand
new........" George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had
gone. The thermos was on the desk, empty with a used coffee cup beside it.
"Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.
George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked
slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had
been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve
meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn't cracked, it was just the
bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to
himself. So he put a new one on. "Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through
the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln.
They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car. As he was working
he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an
officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer
moaned, "Help me."
George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had
received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention.
"Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been
there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct
tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said,
trying to make the policeman feel at ease. "Something for pain," George
thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to
work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You
hang in there. I'm going to get you an ambulance." The phone was dead.
"Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your
car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard
destroying the two way radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting
up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy
that shot me is still in the area." George sat down beside him. "I would
never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George
pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it
is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important
stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain." George got up
and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me,"
said the officer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I
ain't got no donuts."
The officer laughed and winced at the same time. The front door of the
office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash!
Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could
tell hat he had never done anything like this before. "That's the guy that
shot me!" exclaimed the officer. "Son, why are you doing this?" asked
George. "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."
The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now
give me the cash!" The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away,"
George said to the cop. "We got one too many in here now." He turned his
attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve If you need the money,
well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pee
shooter away." George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the
young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young
man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm
not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife
and son," he went on. "I've lost my job. My rent is due. My car got
repossessed last week..." George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all
get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we
make it through the best we can." He got the young man to his feet, and sat
him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things."
George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Being stupid is one of the
things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now
sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out." The young man had
stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just
went off. I'm sorry officer." "Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop
said.
George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an
ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn.
"Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer. "Not bad for a
guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?" "GPS locator in the car. Best
thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he
approached the young man. Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran
off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."
George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other. "That guy work
here?," the wounded cop continued. "Yep," George said. "Just hired him this
morning. Boy lost his job." The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto
the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered,
"Why?" Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy. And you too, George, and
thanks for everything." "Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break
there. That ought to solve some of your problems." George went into the
back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go.
Something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said
it would come in handy some day." The young man looked inside to see the
biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man.
"It means something to you." "And now it means something to you," replied
George. "I got my memories. That's all I need." George reached into the box
again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that
the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little
man of yours." The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150
that the old man had handed him earlier. "And what are you supposed to buy
Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to
your family." The young man turned with tears streaming down his face.
"I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."
"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."
George turned around to find that the stranger had returned.
"Where'd you come from? I thought you left?" "I have been here. I have
always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate
Christmas. Why?" "Well, after my wife passed away I just couldn't see what
all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine
tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by
myself and besides I was getting a little chubby." The stranger put his hand
on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave
me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with
child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor. The policeman you
helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The
young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for
himself. That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any
man." George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you
know all this?" asked the old man. "Trust me, George. I have the inside
track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with
Martha again." The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me,
George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big
celebration planned." George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn
pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light
began to fill the room. "You see, George... it's my birthday. Merry
Christmas."George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord."
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't
been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. He had no
decorations, no tree, no lights. It was just another day to him. He didn't
hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. There were no
children in his life. His wife had gone. He was sitting there looking at
the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was
all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through. Instead
of throwing the man out, George, Old George as he was known by his
customers, told the man to come and sit by the space heater and warm up.
"Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're
busy. I'll just go" "Not without something hot in your belly," George
turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It
ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew. Made it myself. When you're done
there's coffee and it's fresh."
Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me
be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old 53 Chevy.
Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can
you help me!" said the driver with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with
child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block
looked cracked from the cold; the car was dead. "You ain't going in this
thing," George said as he turned away. "But mister. Please help...." The
door of the office closed behind George as he went in. George went to the
office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He
walked around the building and opened the garage, started the truck and
drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he
said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real
good." George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off
into the night. George turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I
gave em the truck. Their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand
new........" George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had
gone. The thermos was on the desk, empty with a used coffee cup beside it.
"Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.
George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked
slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had
been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve
meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn't cracked, it was just the
bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to
himself. So he put a new one on. "Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through
the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln.
They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car. As he was working
he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an
officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer
moaned, "Help me."
George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had
received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention.
"Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been
there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct
tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said,
trying to make the policeman feel at ease. "Something for pain," George
thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to
work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You
hang in there. I'm going to get you an ambulance." The phone was dead.
"Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your
car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard
destroying the two way radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting
up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy
that shot me is still in the area." George sat down beside him. "I would
never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George
pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it
is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important
stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain." George got up
and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me,"
said the officer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I
ain't got no donuts."
The officer laughed and winced at the same time. The front door of the
office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash!
Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could
tell hat he had never done anything like this before. "That's the guy that
shot me!" exclaimed the officer. "Son, why are you doing this?" asked
George. "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."
The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now
give me the cash!" The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away,"
George said to the cop. "We got one too many in here now." He turned his
attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve If you need the money,
well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pee
shooter away." George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the
young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young
man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm
not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife
and son," he went on. "I've lost my job. My rent is due. My car got
repossessed last week..." George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all
get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we
make it through the best we can." He got the young man to his feet, and sat
him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things."
George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Being stupid is one of the
things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now
sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out." The young man had
stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just
went off. I'm sorry officer." "Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop
said.
George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an
ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn.
"Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer. "Not bad for a
guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?" "GPS locator in the car. Best
thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he
approached the young man. Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran
off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."
George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other. "That guy work
here?," the wounded cop continued. "Yep," George said. "Just hired him this
morning. Boy lost his job." The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto
the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered,
"Why?" Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy. And you too, George, and
thanks for everything." "Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break
there. That ought to solve some of your problems." George went into the
back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go.
Something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said
it would come in handy some day." The young man looked inside to see the
biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man.
"It means something to you." "And now it means something to you," replied
George. "I got my memories. That's all I need." George reached into the box
again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that
the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little
man of yours." The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150
that the old man had handed him earlier. "And what are you supposed to buy
Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to
your family." The young man turned with tears streaming down his face.
"I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."
"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."
George turned around to find that the stranger had returned.
"Where'd you come from? I thought you left?" "I have been here. I have
always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate
Christmas. Why?" "Well, after my wife passed away I just couldn't see what
all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine
tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by
myself and besides I was getting a little chubby." The stranger put his hand
on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave
me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with
child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor. The policeman you
helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The
young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for
himself. That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any
man." George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you
know all this?" asked the old man. "Trust me, George. I have the inside
track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with
Martha again." The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me,
George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big
celebration planned." George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn
pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light
began to fill the room. "You see, George... it's my birthday. Merry
Christmas."George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord."