gas station karaoke

i was out of gas
and it was cold.

i was in a hurry
and i pulled up to a more pricey AND shadey gas station
simply becauase it was on my way,
i was in a hurry,
and i really didn't want to end up on the side of the road
in the very near future.

...did i mention i was in a hurry?

i hopped out of the car,
wishing it were better lit,
but thanking the heavens for card readers!...


...until i realized they were all out of order.

"pre-pay only until further notice."

GAH!

i went inside and impatiently stood
behind the other 2 souls
who had wound up at this forsaken place
and avoided contact with everyone -
including the scary-looking kid in the tobacco section
and very emotionless cashier with a nose ring.

i wanted to grumble
(ok, maybe i did)
when finally i stopped focusing on me
and realized
Michael Buble's soothing tones were serenading me
in that dingy little gas station!

it was heaven!

immediately everything changed and i could see in my mind's eye
Michael and i dancing around the gas station
with confetti falling,
patrons singing and swaying,
and the emotionless casheir jumping up onto the counter
and bustin a move!

i could see it all!...

...now, if you know me at all,
you MUST know whats coming next.

...i couldn't help myself!

i was suddenly so blissfully calm
and magically not stressed out anymore,
that as i reached for some motor oil to add to my purchase,
i heard someone who sounded very much like me
singing along - nay, HARMONIZING - with the radio!

"yeaaaaaaaaah, i just haven't met you yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet...!"

i realized with a jolt what was going on
when i felt tobacco-section kid
take my arm and turn me so we were face to face.

i wasn't singing anymore.

nobody was.

they were all looking at me.

...and i think i'd turned to stone.

which is really inconvenient, because i turned to stone with the tobacco-kid still looking me squarely in the eye.

i prayed he'd kill me quickly.

and finally he said,

"miss...you have a really beautiful voice!"

"yeah!" emotionless cashier chimed in with a smile, "you should come sing when im on shift more often!"

all of which was accompanied by a positive murmur from the other patrons and general laughter from everyone in the little store! the rest of my 5 min there were spent chatting, well-wishing, and saying goodnight to everyone - suddenly i was surprised at how quickly my "inconvenient, time-wasting stop" had passed!

and you know, there wasn't any confetti
(and Michael certainly hadn't shown up to dance with me!),
but it almost felt the same. :)

so thank you, sweet tobacco-section boy,
for giving an honestly strange stranger
an honest and sweet compliment!

i'm glad that i met you yet! :)