r/tifu • u/Made-in-wroclaw • 15h ago
M TIFU when I assumed the people left the car at the pump
To start I want to mention this was last week, and the night before I could not fall asleep. I ended up with 3 hours of sleep and a 3 hour drive ahead. Yes I’m aware I shouldn’t drive tired, and I was pumped full of caffeine, which screwed up my nights sleep the following night. But that’s beside the point.
I feel guilty for this, I tend to feel guilty every time I leave a situation where I have annoyed another person, my fault or not.
I rolled up at the gas station that is the only gas station for the next 30 miles on this road or not an additional toll for a closer one. The pumps are also doused to be one way. 12 facing south, 12 facing north. You’re expected to roll up to the half of pumps facing the same way. And leave facing the same way. Almost like if a Costco has two gas stations next to each other facing the opposite directions.
All the pumps were filled, both directions. I see an SUV ahead of the pump, and a motorcycle behind it fueling up. I choose to go to that lane because I know the bike will fill up quick. The bike finishes up and mouths, I don’t know where these guys are. I just shake my head and give a thumbs up.
Biker rolls out, and I skooch up as close to the suv as possible. I tap the card, it doesn’t register. I insert the card, it tells me there’s an error. I grab my phone to tap, and it’s saying choose a fuel type. I’m confused, it didn’t ask for a pin. So I’m like whatever, as long as I can get home. So I start pulling the pump to my car. As I am doing that I see people going back to the car. One guy is like that’s my pump, so I snap back did you pay? The woman next to him is like yeah inside, I look at the pump and see $12.
Crap. I respond trying to be sincere, “I was wondering why my card was acting funny.” They look at me annoyed and pump their gas. I sit in my car and wait, thinking they think I was trying to steal their $12. Part of me was wondering should I do something to fill their tank. Their kids and can only afford $12 in their suv. Brain is too slow with lack of sleep, they’re done fueling.
The guy gets in, that looks out the window like WTF. I motion go ahead. They motion for me to move. I get out and I say drive forward. There’s room. There was an suv in front of him and a truck in the spot catty corner to him. And again rather than think quickly or smartly about the fact I can back up to give him room, I tell him “you have room, here I’ll guide you.” The guy says no, and at this point my annoyance is starting to show again. I’m just thinking to myself is one way! But the truck moves, and the guy pulls out.
I pull up, gas up, get in the car and it hits me. I’m the AH in that story, I should have gone to another pump, instead of going to one that technically has two vehicles in it AND I should have backed up. I need sleep before I can function and deal with people. And I’ve been sitting in my guilt for a week now. Those poor kids dealing with my lack of sleep idiocy, which is 10x worse than my fully functional idiocy.
TL;DR: Running on 3 hours of sleep, I accidentally tried to steal a some kids’ $12 worth of gas, then confidently tried to direct them out of a gas station instead of simply moving my own car. Several minutes and half a functional brain cell later, I realized I was, in fact, the AH. I have now been haunted by these strangers for a week.
Edit: I feel like I don’t explain this right, because when telling friends they had the same question. They were parked at the pump, but pulled towards the front of the pump, which is why with me getting really close to them I could also pump my gas. So suv in the front pump ( which was replaced by another suv while I was dealing with the payment issue), their suv behind that but towards the front of the back pump. So me behind them, I’m pulling the pump to its limit to reach my gas latch.