Travel Tip: Route 28 in Alton is NOT a good place to run out of gas

Ahem. You can see where this is going...

So on Wednesday night, after a very, very long and arduous day, two things happened to me. Two things that I did not believe really exist happened to me.

1) I ran out of gas. Yes, actually ran OUT of gas. As in, the car would not move another inch. And after then turning it off, magically restarting it, and miraculously going another two or three miles on literal fumes, it stopped again. This time, no dice. Thus, I got out of the car in my now-sweaty (as it was 90+ degrees) work outfit, and started walking down the road toward the elusive gas station. At which point,

2) An actual honest-to-god Knight in Shining Armor (a big honking Chevy Silverado of armor to be exact) rescued me, the Damsel in Distress. (!!!!) I was on the cell phone wailing my woes to Mom, who frankly sounded too preoccupied to come help me, when he drove up, slowed down the truck alongside me, and said out the window, "I have gas in my truck if you need it."

???

Who does that? And who, but my Knight in Shining Armor All, keeps gas in the back of their truck??

GOD. BLESS. MY. KNIGHT.

I hesitated for the wee-est of seconds, and then decided to take a leap of faith, hopped (scrabbled) up into his mondo truck, and was driven back to my vehicle where said Knight put two gallons of beautiful life-affirming unleaded gas - not even diesel! - in my car. I said, "How do you have gas in your truck?" He said, "My old girlfriend used to run out of gas twice a week."

I then tried to give my Knight a fiver, to which he said, "No, no," and I said, "Take it!" and he said, "No way." He then smiled a beautiful shy smile at me, watched me start up the car, and I drove away. I may have fallen in love just the littlest bit. ;)

Needless to say, DO NOT run out of gas in Alton because it is miles and miles between gas stations. And above all, always hold out hope because fairy tales do sometimes come true.

***

~Ally