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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Mystery
- Subject: Pain / Problems / Adversity
- Published: 04/16/2022
Sticker Shock
Born 1947, M, from Oceanside, United StatesSticker Shock
No way, he thought, as he stared open-mouth at the sticker price on the charging station. There’s no way that can be the price!
After shutting his mouth, he thought, once again, that maybe he should have kept his old gas-guzzler, then he wouldn’t have had to worry about charging so far from other stations. But now, looking at the cost of a charge and realizing he’d never make it home without another one, he resolved to pay the price.
Opening his wallet to retrieve his credit card, his stomach took a nosedive. The heat of horror flushed his face when he saw he had no card. Where could it be? Did he lose it, or had it been stolen? But then he remembered; he had used his card the day before to buy takeout, which meant it was probably still sitting in the pocket of the shirt he had worn—a shirt that was now stuffed in his laundry basket at home.
Pulling out his cellphone, he checked to see how many bars he had. One bar! Please let it be enough, he silently pleaded!
“Yeah, we get a lot of calls from that location,” said the woman from AAA. “Hold on. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”
After hanging up, he sat half in and out of his car while staring at the magnificence around him. Surrounded by giant redwood trees, some of which were as tall as a twenty-story office building, he felt as small as an ant.
Sighing, he thought of all the places he could have gone for a road trip. Instead, he chose the redwood forest? Why? Because, the giant trees had fascinated him since childhood. Now that he was unemployed, he wanted to see them in person.
With another sigh, he looked at his watch. It was only five minutes since he’d made his call to AAA. At least it felt serene here, he thought as a light breeze wafted its way in and around the giant trees, gently tussling his hair.
Thirty minutes later, he spotted the AAA charging van as it wound its way around and through the forest of redwoods. It’s about time, he thought.
“You the one who needs a charge?” asked the stocky woman in grubby overalls and scuffed cowboy boots who stepped from the van. Glancing around as if searching for someone else, he thought, do you see anyone besides me? But kept his thoughts to himself.
Instead, he just replied, “Yes, that’s me.”
“Sorry, it took me so long to get here,” she explained, as she unraveled a thick electric cable from the side of her van. “I had to give someone else a charge. In the meantime, here’s a chair to sit on while you wait.”
“Thanks,” he replied, as he opened the folding chair and sat.
Watching as she hooked up the cable to his vehicle, he wondered how many other travelers had called AAA from this location, especially after they saw the price.
Five minutes later, she unhooked him and collected his information.
“Wow! That’s a heck of a lot cheaper than it would have been had I used this machine!”
“That’s what everyone says,” she replied as she climbed back into her van.
Thanking her, he watched as she and her vehicle disappeared from sight. Then after checking the indicator on his dash to make sure it was now at full strength, he glanced once more at the sticker on the side of the machine.
Forty-five dollars! Sheesh!
Sticker Shock(Tom Di Roma)
Sticker Shock
No way, he thought, as he stared open-mouth at the sticker price on the charging station. There’s no way that can be the price!
After shutting his mouth, he thought, once again, that maybe he should have kept his old gas-guzzler, then he wouldn’t have had to worry about charging so far from other stations. But now, looking at the cost of a charge and realizing he’d never make it home without another one, he resolved to pay the price.
Opening his wallet to retrieve his credit card, his stomach took a nosedive. The heat of horror flushed his face when he saw he had no card. Where could it be? Did he lose it, or had it been stolen? But then he remembered; he had used his card the day before to buy takeout, which meant it was probably still sitting in the pocket of the shirt he had worn—a shirt that was now stuffed in his laundry basket at home.
Pulling out his cellphone, he checked to see how many bars he had. One bar! Please let it be enough, he silently pleaded!
“Yeah, we get a lot of calls from that location,” said the woman from AAA. “Hold on. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”
After hanging up, he sat half in and out of his car while staring at the magnificence around him. Surrounded by giant redwood trees, some of which were as tall as a twenty-story office building, he felt as small as an ant.
Sighing, he thought of all the places he could have gone for a road trip. Instead, he chose the redwood forest? Why? Because, the giant trees had fascinated him since childhood. Now that he was unemployed, he wanted to see them in person.
With another sigh, he looked at his watch. It was only five minutes since he’d made his call to AAA. At least it felt serene here, he thought as a light breeze wafted its way in and around the giant trees, gently tussling his hair.
Thirty minutes later, he spotted the AAA charging van as it wound its way around and through the forest of redwoods. It’s about time, he thought.
“You the one who needs a charge?” asked the stocky woman in grubby overalls and scuffed cowboy boots who stepped from the van. Glancing around as if searching for someone else, he thought, do you see anyone besides me? But kept his thoughts to himself.
Instead, he just replied, “Yes, that’s me.”
“Sorry, it took me so long to get here,” she explained, as she unraveled a thick electric cable from the side of her van. “I had to give someone else a charge. In the meantime, here’s a chair to sit on while you wait.”
“Thanks,” he replied, as he opened the folding chair and sat.
Watching as she hooked up the cable to his vehicle, he wondered how many other travelers had called AAA from this location, especially after they saw the price.
Five minutes later, she unhooked him and collected his information.
“Wow! That’s a heck of a lot cheaper than it would have been had I used this machine!”
“That’s what everyone says,” she replied as she climbed back into her van.
Thanking her, he watched as she and her vehicle disappeared from sight. Then after checking the indicator on his dash to make sure it was now at full strength, he glanced once more at the sticker on the side of the machine.
Forty-five dollars! Sheesh!
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