A Pinch of Rodeo

By Joe R. Nichols

STEALING GAS

Tom Reeves moved in with me when he attended college at Panhandle State University in Goodwell, OK. He had his Pro-card, I was still on my permit. If you gave your membership number to Tom, get ready. He would have you entered in every rodeo from Galveston to the Yukon.

We mounted my old Cadillac one morning to leave on a run. We stopped to get gas at a local fuel merchant in Guymon, where I lived. I pumped the petro, Tom used the restroom. He came out about the same time I had her full, and we took off. A few miles down the road, Tom says, “Joe, did you pay for the gas?”

I said, “No, I have this,,,”

He spun a quarter turn in his seat toward me and interrupted, “You didn’t pay for the gas?” he blurted in a near panic.

Now, I love practical jokes, and it’s not often you get the opportunity to have one handed to you like this. I got him good.

“No, I didn’t pay for the gas, I thought you did.”

“I didn’t pay for the gas,” he said. His eyes were big and his voice quivered.

“You went in there, I never left the car.”

“I just went to the bathroom, I didn’t buy the gas.”

“Oh, I thought you paid for it,” I said disgusted.

“We gotta go back, Joe.”

“Aw, I bet we can get away with it.”

“No, Joe. You gotta go back.”

What I had started to say when he first asked me if I paid for the gas, was; “No I have this fuel card that lets you buy gas 24 hours a day.”

The pumps were at this old filling station that had nothing to do with the tire shop using the building where Tom used the restroom. He never saw me put the card in the pump to turn it on.

“Tom”, I said sternly, “Don’t be jacking with me, you bought the gas didn’t you?

No, all I did was use the bathroom. Turn around and go back.”

“Their not going to catch us now, lets just go on.” I sped up and started looking in the rear view mirror.

“No, you have to go back, they probably got our tag number and called the cops.”

I sped up a little more, “Lets see if we can get away with it.”

By this time, Tom had both feet up in the seat, like he was getting ready to jump. “Come on Joe, turn around, we’ll get caught. We can’t do this.”

I wanted to carry it on some more, but the fear on his face brought out my laughter. When I could control myself enough to explain, he didn’t know if he should believe me or not. I had to show him the card before he settled down.

Tom won over 1.7 million dollars in his career, qualifying for the National Finals 18 times, and won the World Championship in 2001. What I told him that day was certainly applicable. “It’s a good thing you can ride broncs, because you don’t like to work, and you’re way to nervous to steal.”