fill 'er up

I've had Jacques and Chantal's R21 for a few weeks now, but today was the first time I had to put gas in it. I've been driving for nearly 20 years, so you'd think putting gas in a car would be a breeze. It seems that besides the trick of pulling up on the ring around the gear shift to put it in reverse, there is also a secret to opening the door to put in the gas. I should have figured this out before going to the gas station. I pulled up next to the pump and looked all over for a lever for the gas. I found the one to open the hood, but not the gas. Frustrated and embarrassed because there was a car waiting behind me, I looked for an attendant. He was helping someone else, so I approached the next car in line. It too was a Renault, so I thought surely he'd know what to do. I explained that I was driving a friend's car and didn't know how to open the door. He looked at the little door but couldn't open it. He got in the car, but couldn't figure it out either. I thanked him and told him I'd call my friend.

I pulled into the grocery store parking lot and called Chantal. Thankfully she answered, and after a few minutes, we finally realized that the doors to the car must be unlocked to access the gas tank. I have the very American habit of locking my car while I pump gas - I don't want someone to steal my purse (or my car) while I'm not in it. I never would have thought about unlocking the car to unlock the gas door.

The trauma and embarrassment of not being able to put gas in the car was soon diminished by the shock of the bill - 44€ to fill up the car. The cheapest unleaded is 1€30 per liter. And you thought gas in Oklahoma was getting expensive!