UNLEADED

A couple of weeks ago I stopped to get gas on the way to work. It was about 7:45 AM when I pulled up to the pumps. My windows were down halfway, and I was playing the untitled instrumental from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Pretty loudly, if you must know.

While I was filling my tank, a woman pulled up to the other side of the island. She was probably in her early 60s, and as she peered around to my side, I was sure that she was about to complain about the volume of the music.

"What is that?" she asked, with no rancor and obvious curiosity. "Is it Irish?"

I was so prepared to apologize that it took me a few seconds to formulate a different response.

"There's some Celtic in there I guess. But they also have roots in Louisiana."

"Louisiana. Huh." She paused to listen some more. "Very interesting."

I thought about that woman all day...