The other day I was at the gas station. I believe it was Speedway. Or maybe it was Shell. I was filling up my tank so that I could take my friends on a road trip to Great Wolf Lodge. We were celebrating the four-month anniversary of buying our Brita pitcher, which is why we chose a location with so much water.
As I stepped out of my car, I overheard the conversation of two women at the pump next to me. One of the women was telling the other that gas prices would skyrocket over the next few weeks. I turned my head towards them and said firmly, "You're wrong."
The woman who had been talking looked in my direction and said, "No, you're wrong."
Raising my voice, I shouted, "NO! I am not! The avatar will arrive and keep the gas prices low!" The women, despondently staring into my soul, shook their heads and pointed at the sign in front of the Speedway, though it's possible that it was a Shell station. The sign read:
Regular $2.67
Premium $3.09
The avatar will not be returning because the avatar is not real.
My jaw dropped lower than the catacombs of Paris and my eyes grew wider than the Mississippi in the rainy season. In my state of shock, I had forgotten to insert the nozzle into my car and the gasoline was spilling all over my Osiris shoes. Realizing my error, I shouted "Yip yip!" but the gas continued to flow. The two women quickly ran over and grabbed the nozzle from me. They showed me that releasing the trigger stops the flow of the gasoline. Those two good Samaritans may have saved my life that day.
I tried to fire bend in the shape of heart for them but nothing was emitting from my fingers. One of the women, comprehending what I was trying to do, handed me her lighter. I grabbed the nozzle from her and poured the gasoline in the shape of a heart on my car window and touched the small flame to it.
With tears in my eyes, I thanked the women and decided to speak my mind. "All my life I've been waiting for somebody to arrive in this world with the ability to control all four elements. But maybe all I needed was someone with a bit of compassion and common sense. Maybe this world only needs a few people who are kind enough to lend their lighter to a stranger at a Speedway gas pump, or even at a Shell gas pump."
As I tossed back the lighter, I said, "This world just got a bit brighter." The woman didn't catch it because I tossed it about four feet above her head, so I ran over and picked it up. This time I said, "Thanks for the light," and tossed it with impeccable accuracy into her outstretched hand. Then I walked away, hoping that all of the passersby who were filming would edit out the bad toss from the middle of the video before uploading it to social media.
Yesterday, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and I saw a video link entitled, "3 Strangers Light a Fire at a BP Station. You Won't BELIEVE What Happens Next." I smiled with indelible glee and shared it. The elemental balance may have not been restored, but my faith in humanity certainly was. This world is a beautiful place.
