3 DOLLARS WORTH OF GAS

I was in a hurry the other day, stopped at Zippy Mart and got 20 dollars worth of gas. I got for my $20 about 6 and a half gallons. That made me think back to my school days when money was tight for everyone. But I drove first a 1966 Ford pickup, then a Volkswagon Beetle. $3 worth of gas would carry me for more than a week. And we kept the roads burning up back then. Gas was not yet $1 yet. I think it was around 75 cents or so. But, 20+ years does change things and the early 1980s are a lifetime away.
Do you remember the Mr. Quick (now Zippy Mart) opening up? I thought the Fried Chicken there was the best thing I had ever ate in my life. Of course, after a few weeks, and several dead chickens later, it wasn't as good. They introduced Slush Puppies to Belmont and that was the greatest thing since Sport and Barbara Harris had a bakery in Belmont and brought Icees to Belmont. That's right, we had a bakery in Belmont with fresh doughnuts and baked goods every day. Sport would fire up the store about 4am and they would stay late, as late as 9 or 10 pm every day. It was a great business, but it almost worked them to death.
I worked for Mr. Earl Campbell for a few years while I was in High School. If you remember Mr. Earl's service station, then you remember his dog, Blackie. There was 2 things in Belmont that I was told you had better not do, and one of those was to kick Mr. Earl Campbell's dog. Mr. Earl was a great human being. He appeared very gruff, but really had a kind heart. When he passed away, there is no telling how much money was owed to him that people just never got around to paying. My dad wouldn't buy tires from anyone but Mr. Earl. Also, Elmo Moxley worked there for years, and then for Blake Moore, was a wonderful person who did a very strange thing for years. He showed up to work early every day, did his job, and didn't complain. He is the kind of man that we need a ton of in this town, in this state, and in this country. A lot of people don't have respect for people like that. A lot of people are stupid.
Belmont is full of people who always did their job. They went to the factory every day, went home, made supper, got up the next day and did it again. I heard a lot of people tell how their children HAD to leave Belmont for a better life. They left better than what they got, I guarantee. I have always thought Belmont was the best place on Earth, and nothing in the last 40 years has dimmed my view. This place is not perfect, but it's perfect for me.