A CLOSE CALL

A CLOSE CALL 

By Duncan 

Day two of my road trip to Florida begins today in Byron, Georgia. I opened the curtains and noticed a sharp-looking semi-truck parked in the Motel 6 parking lot.

The tractor/truck was glistening with chrome. Its chrome bumper, exhaust pipes, fuel tanks, and wheels made it a thing to behold—if a part could be chromed, it was. The tractor was painted a striking dark blue, showcasing its beauty as if it were a fine piece of Sapphire Jewelry. The truck was immaculately clean as well. There was a clear sense of pride of ownership radiating from that stunning piece of equipment. I didn’t tip my hat because I wasn’t wearing one. 

I sit at my desk with several monitors connected to my computer. You might wonder why I have two—well, actually, I have four monitors. One screen displays the pictures I took on my trip, while the others show the story I’m writing. Then, on the other monitor, I check for grammar. It doesn’t always work because many of you tell me I have misspelled a word.  

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that definitely rings true. The images on monitor two help me recall where I’ve been.

Speaking of where I have been, in the story before this one, titled “I Hate America,” I mentioned a run-in with a moose on a lonely, dark road in Montana. One of my readers sent me a couple of pictures from that event. I didn't realize he was copying my photographs. The person who sent the photos of the van helped me buy the van in 2017 for $900. He is a character; he would walk into my home without knocking, head straight to the refrigerator, grab a beer, take a big swig, and then look at me with a grin and say,

“You’re almost out of beer.”  

The photographs above remind me why I don’t drive on a dark road in Montana at night. 

I tossed my luggage into the front passenger seat and decided to get an early start. I had 488 miles to travel from Byron to Cape Coral, where a two-million-dollar home with an infinity pool seamlessly blends into the Caloosahatchee River. The view alone is priceless, so I was in a hurry.

I hadn’t been paying attention to my dashboard, and now the fuel indicator showed that my gas tank was empty. The little gas pump icon next to the fuel gauge was yellow, which usually means I have about a gallon of gas left. Now, I’m nervous. With my car getting thirty miles per gallon, I might only have thirty miles left before I might have to walk to the next exit. How long has the yellow gas pump light been on? I have no idea. I need to find a gas station fast. How far is the next exit? I started searching every road sign for any indication of the distance to the next exit and whether it had a gas station.

As I watched the numbers on the gas pump spin, I noticed a Wendy’s located in the same building as the gas station. I'm sure many of you have seen places where a fast-food franchise is attached to a truck stop. I hadn’t eaten anything since last night’s Subway sandwich. I glanced at my cell phone to check the time; it was around 10:30 in the morning. I wondered if Wendy’s was serving breakfast or lunch. Refueling my vehicle and grabbing a bite to eat simultaneously would be convenient.

The fuel pump clicked off. I looked at the numbers. Mean Yellow has a thirteen (13) gallon tank. The fuel pump numbers were 12.480 Gallons @ $2.959 a gallon. Oh my, I’m a lucky fella. I had a half gallon of gas left or about fifteen (15) miles of fuel left. I decided to celebrate. That was a close one. Way too close. I must stop and fill the tank at 25% and stop all this drama.  

I parked next to the building and went inside to grab a bite to eat. I’m not a fan of Wendy’s, as I have experienced poor service at the last couple of Wendy’s locations I visited. Therefore, I had low expectations when I walked into this one. 

Finding people who want to work at a fast-food restaurant can be challenging. Even when someone is hired, they may feel that the job isn’t suitable for them, or they might believe they are underpaid. I suspect the training isn’t at the highest level either. 

Instilling in low-wage employees that the “Customer is King” is difficult when customers might be rude or difficult. It’s common for a manager to step in and assist a new employee at the register when they encounter a difficult customer. I’ve seen it happen. 

I walked to the counter, and Jenna had a name tag. I did notice she was sizing me up and unsure if I would be a good little boy or a pain. I decided to try my best approach. 

“Good Morning, Jenna. I see my personal and very close friend Dave Thomas on the wall over there; it’s always good to see his face. Are you serving breakfast or lunch?” 

She looked at the wall behind her and said, “We have six more minutes of breakfast, and then we will start lunch.”

“Well, let’s do breakfast.”

I noticed a faint smile cross her lips. She decided that I would be her good little boy. I ordered something I had never tried at Wendy’s: a breakfast combo that included a piece of bacon, egg, cheese on a muffin, small seasoned potatoes, and a small diet Coke. The total came to $6.77.

“Please don’t roll your eyes at me about the Diet Coke.” 

I decided to eat the combo meal at the restaurant. Despite the efforts of Dave Thomas, the sandwich left a lot to be desired. Yes, I know Dave is deceased, and you will accuse me, saying I went in with low expectations that Wendy's wouldn’t meet my discriminating standards. Okay, I hear you; if my mind focuses on ugly, you get ugly. The point is well taken.

I’m guilty of comparing Wendy’s to the egg muffin at McDonald's. Unfortunately, the Wendy’s combo meal didn’t compete with the “Almighty Ever Popular Egg Muffin.” There was too much muffin for the small amount of bacon and egg between the sheets. I did enjoy the small potatoes, which I found to be acceptable. 

Hey, I know there’s a demographic for this place; many people love Wendy's. I know I’m only one opinion. Wendy’s ranks at number five in sales. Someone is eating at Wendy’s. So, what do I know?

(I know what I like and what I don’t like.)

Here are the top 10 restaurants in America by sales, 

            McDonald’s  ($53.1 billion)

            Starbucks     ($31.6 billion)

• Chick-fil-A    ($21.6 billion)

• Taco Bell      ($15 billion)

• Wendy’s       ($12.3 billion)

• Dunkin’         ($12 billion)

• Burger King  ($11 billion)

• Subway        ($10 billion)

• Chipotle        ($9.9 billion)

• Domino’s      ($9 billion)

There is a “Lid for every Pot.” Needless to say, I left out the next level of fine dining. After all, we are on the road trying to get to a destination as fast as possible for sun and fun, fun, fun. 

The rest of my journey was to simply grind out the miles. I’m reminded of the movie Smokey and the Bandit. Jerry Reed sings, “East Bound and Down.” I have a long way to go and a short time to get there. So, it’s hammer down, and let’s pass a few semi-trucks loaded with beer.  

Cape Coral is a community south and to the west of Fort Myers. The home is on the Caloosahatchee River. The view is stunning. Enough of gas stations and fast food restaurants; it’s time to shed my winter coat, sweater, sweatshirt, and muck-a-lucks and enjoy the weather.  I parked Mean Yellow in the driveway and turned off the engine. River Drive is where I will be for the next few days. 

Until my next story, I’m here, and you’re not.

(I shouldn’t have said that!)