So there i was at some ungodly hour of the morning, almost out of gas, and heading into the central spine of Puerto Rico. Unlike in the States, it’s just not all that easy to find a gas station at four in the morning. It’s hard enough just finding a road sign. Nervously I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel of my rented black SUV as I drove. Finally I saw lights in the distance. I was actually happy to see a Toll Both expanding in front of me. I pulled into the lane that offered a human attendant and asked where the nearest open gas station was. You can imagine how relieved I was to find out that it was less than a mile ahead.

I followed the little unlit exit down to a small, poorly lit gas station and pulled up along side the pump. In Puerto Rico it’s standard to go pay for your gas before you pump. Something that always drove me crazy since i could never guess how much gas I would need to fill a rental car. I always ended up overpaying, and having to go back in again to get my $2 refund. I walked up to the attendant and waited while he finished his conversation with a short, bulgy security guard. After a bit of chatter and boisterous laughter he looked at me and I handed him $40.00. He tossed the money into a dingy gray register and turned back to his conversation.

When the pump finally clicked off at $38.10 I swore under my breath and went back to get my change. In the dark I could not see anyway back to the highway that was less than 100 yards behind the station. The chubby guard pointed me north. “Gracias.”, I said and headed back to the truck. I pulled out of the station and turned north onto what seemed like a road to nowhere. In a few moments i came to a fork in the road. One way lead off into what looked like a cornfield and the other seemed to head back toward the highway. “Funny,” I thought. I could’nt remember seeing a cornfield the whole time i was here. I turned right toward the highway. As I continued along I drove under an overpass and saw a rariety, a clearly marked blue sign marking the return to the express way. The road lead me on a winding path back along the highway and up over a hill. From the ridge I could see the lights of the toll both that I had passed earlier glowing right below me. I continued on. Finally the road decended and wrapped around until it became an on ramp. Suddenly I realized I was driving right back to the toll booth!!

I could’nt believe it! With a crazy sense of “deja vu”, I pulled back up along side the attendant that I had talked to a few minutes earlier. I looked at her and smiled. “The road from that gas station brings you back behind the Toll booth again!”, I said. I was thinking this had to be a joke. With her deep Puerto Rican accent she just smiled and said, ” $3.00 please”. Feeling defeated, I handed her another $3.00. “Was there another road on?” I asked. “No.”, she said with a small tired smile, “that was the one”. “That’s Crazy!” I responded, thinking it had to be a mistake. She just smiled again slightly, then turned back to her register. I paused for a moment accepting my fate. I slowly put my foot down on the accelerator and began once again heading north. As I passed the exit back to the gas station I thought to myself. . “Thank you. Come again. . .” I smiled.

“. . and again!”

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