family
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Another Night at Chill n’Fill: The Baby Lotion Theorists It was Friday night at Chill n’Fill, and I was nearing the end of what Bob optimistically called my “probationary period” but what I recognized as “we can’t find anyone else willing to work these hours for minimum wage plus the occasional expired energy drink.” Read more
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The House on West 14 Road In the spring of 1985, my family relocated from 112 John Street to 7160 W. 14 Rd. in Mesick, Michigan, a rural community known locally as Glengary. I was about to turn nine years old. The sprawling five-bedroom, two-story house stood weathered against the Michigan landscape, its painted Read more
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Chill n’Fill Chronicles: The Night of the Little Car Thief, The Local Ranting Man & Officers Looking My Friday night shift at Chill n’Fill was officially entering the twilight zone. The one-eyed polar bear sign outside flickered rhythmically, as if winking at the parade of weirdness that was about to unfold. Bob’s “rebranding” of Read more
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I was five years old when I learned how to start a car. Not just any car… a 1980 Trans Am, dark purple, with T-tops that offered glimpses of Arkansas sky and an exhaust system that announced our arrival half a mile before we appeared. That Phoenix emblazoned across the hood might as Read more
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Static Shocks, Strange Frequencies, and Whispered Confessions Wednesday night at Chill & Fill started with a commotion. Bob had decided the store’s ancient radio system needed “upgrading,” which apparently meant dismantling it with a screwdriver while it was still plugged in. The one-eyed polar bear mascot… now sporting not only its sailor hat and Read more
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The Morning Rush: Dawn Breaks at the Quickmart The neon sign at the “Chill n’Fill” flickers to life with all the enthusiasm of a teenager asked to clean their room. Our one-eyed polar bear mascot—inexplicably styled like a pirate despite selling gas station coffee rather than plundering ships—surveys the parking lot with its solitary gaze, Read more
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