I spend many nights driving on lonely highways. I drive for hours, until my eyes get blurry and ghosts start to rise up from the fields alongside the road. That’s when I know it’s time for a pit stop!
I enjoy gas stations and pit stops for their fluorescence, their aisles of bounty, and their particular grimy charm. One night recently, I stopped at one of my usual roadside haunts, which I like because they have my favorite cheese straws, and the same woman is always working at the cash register. Night after night, her kiosk glows in the darkness, and her kind smile and efficient change leaves one feeling cared for, and refreshed for the onward journey.
The only downside of this pit stop is its large, untended trash area, where unsavory characters often lurk in the shadows, waiting for customers whose wits are dulled by hours of night driving. Dazzled by the sudden brightness of the Food Mart, I didn’t see this ominous individual until it was nearly too late – and I nearly paid a heavy price. Thankfully I escaped with these photographs, exact change, and a couple bags of cheese sticks to tide me over til my next stop…
