The Gas Station

“C’mon Jenny we’re never going to get there! Didn’t you think of filling the car up with gas before we left?” I really didn’t appreciate Nathan’s attitude considering this was one of the few vacations we were able to take together. He was a neurosurgeon and I’m a research scientist, so it’s safe to say that we are both extremely busy people. We were supposed to go on this extravagant vacation to Paris, go sightseeing, eat carb-filled foods, and feel free, but as soon as we got to the airport yesterday one of Nathan’s patients went into critical condition. Though we didn’t get our Paris trip, we both decided it was necessary to take a vacation. We both needed to relax a little bit, and we especially needed to find time to spend together as well. We purchased a cabin just two months after we got married 6 years ago. Out of 6 years we’ve only been 4 times, so we decided it would be an easy way to get out of town but still be close enough to where if anything happened to a patient, Nathan could get back quick enough. Anyways, going back to the gas situation. I got caught up with some tests at the lab and forgot to get gas last night before I came home. We were 15 minutes away from the cabin at this point, and Nathan was growing irritable as I opened the car door next to the gas pump. “I’ll be quick,” I promised him. I ran into the gas station and immediately noticed these bronzed burritos under a heat lamp. I had to have them. Nathan and I absolutely loved gas station burritos and we hardly ever got to eat them. I thought maybe a couple of grease-filled burritos would brighten his mood anyways. I paid for the gas, a whopping $95.00 to be exact, and quickly ran back to the car where I opened the door. Nathan immediately smiled as he recognized the wrapper of the burritos. “And this is why I love you!” He reassured me that his attitude had changed as he ripped open the wrapper and took a huge bite into one of the burritos. I finished pumping the gas and got in the car in hopes to arrive at our cabin within the next few minutes. The drive wasn’t too bad, and the weather was beautiful today, 72 degrees and sunny. In no time, we arrived. We unpacked and opened the door, and everything was as we had left it, very clean and tidy. Because the weather was so beautiful, Nathan and I decided to go on a hike, however I was still starving! Nathan had already finished his burrito during the short drive from the gas station, but I still didn’t have a chance to. I asked him to pack it in my backpack so that we could start hiking on our favorite trail. Usually, we saw many animals there, like deer and squirrels, and most importantly butterflies. We locked the cabin up and began walking. For once, I felt free of work stress and I’m almost certain Nathan did too. He grabbed my hand and we walked together, not saying a word but peacefully embracing the sounds of nature. We finally reached the middle of the trail, which is where we usually sat and took a break because of how long the hike actually was. Routinely, I began to slow down in preparation of stopping, however Nathan didn’t. “Hey what are you doing?” I questioned. He didn’t respond. “Hey! Why are you going without me? I am so out of shape!” I joked. Still no response. Because I didn’t want to be left behind I tried to jog and catch up to Nathan. He was acting strange, and I started to worry. He started to jog when he saw me attempting to catch up to him. What was going on? Why was he trying to get away from me? We quickly approached the top of the hill considering we were now running almost at a full speed. This is where the animals typically were. I didn’t know why Nathan was acting this way, but I figured if he needed to calm down from the stress of work then this would be the place.“Look honey, he has an acorn!” Nathan exclaimed. “Who has an acorn?” I asked, confused because there was nothing in sight. “The squirrel has an acorn. Right in front of you! He is trying to talk to you. He says that you’re pretty.” I knew Nathan was acting weird, but this was a whole different level. “Nathan quit it. Really, where are the animals?” He stared at me as if I had just told him the world was ending. “What are you talking about? Jenny, look at the bird! The bird is talking! He is saying how I should try to fly with him! I should try to fly with him right?” And just like that, before I could say or do anything, Nathan was gone. He threw himself over the ledge that we had shared hugs and kisses at on previous trips. I was shocked, and I wanted to scream so loud but nothing would come out. Nathan wasn’t suicidal, he wasn’t depressed, he didn’t have any reason to want to end his own life. Or did he? Was Nathan truthful with me? I could feel my life begin to fall apart. I started to sprint down the hill, tears streaming down my face not knowing what to do or where to go next. All I had was my backpack with my phone that didn’t work because there was no cell service, a single water bottle and the burrito from the gas stations. ​The gas station!!!​ I quickly rushed to the car and drove much faster than the speed limit to the gas station. I had to use a phone or even just look for help. There was no way Nathan would do this to himself. When I walked in the gas station, I was hysterical. I ran directly to the man who I had spoken to earlier. “PLEASE HELP ME! MY HUSBAND JUST JUMPED FR-” The man cut me off mid sentence. “Wait weren’t you in here earlier? I just saw you.” He was acting so casual, how could he do this when I was panicking? “Yes. I am the woman who bought the burritos, now CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME?” I screamed. “Oh. You bought the ​burritos​.”