What was your first job? What kind of salary were you paid?
My first job was a gas station attendant at a Texaco station in Duchesne. I have told about a few experiences there. I worked form the day after I graduated from high school every night from 10 PM to 6 AM the following morning, (7 days a week) until I went to college on Aug 13, 1971. I don’t remember how much I was paid but it seems like it was around 3 dollars an hour, I really do not remember. I had some interesting experiences while there and the following is one of them.
Texaco: Drunken friends and Vito Herrera
One of the most memorable experiences I had while working at the Texaco that had possible consequences far beyond my understanding at the time was with the bosses son and a few of his friends especially one named Vito Herrera.
It was around 1 in the morning when the son of my boss and several of his friends came into the station. We had a lot a area around the station that was all paved and made for a lot of fun if you wanted to use one of the bosses toys that he had there at the station temporarily. It was a six wheeled land and water rover vehicle. It could be driven on hard surfaces and then right out into the water where the wheels were shaped such that they worked like paddles and would then take you across the lake or whatever. It was shaped somewhat like a boat and had no top so it was more like a four wheeler or motorcycle. Sin the son felt like it was his toy he felt like he had every right to play with it. However as the one responsible for the station at night and the fact that all of his friends were drunk I felt totally different. So I called the police and then his father, I that order. The police arrived first and had things pretty well under control before Carl (the owner) arrived. So you are probably wondering why I mentioned Vito and the fact that it could have lasting potential of danger to myself. Well as Vito was being put into the patrol car he told me that he was going to kill me. I didn’t think much about it since I knew he was drunk and his younger brother and I were friends from school.
Later when I was talking to Carl about how I had handled the situation he told me I did it right and to always call the police first before him since they would be able to get there much sooner and was the right course to follow regardless of who it was causing the problem.
Well it was two or more years later when I found out how dangerous Vito really was at that time. Clair was now a highway patrolman in Duchesne and had chased Vito in his car from Duchesne to Altamont. Another patrolman also was coming from Roosevelt and was going to stop him from the other direction. There is a big hollow near Altonah where the road makes a fairly sharp curve and then goes down the one side of the ravine and back to the top on the other side. It is a fairly blind curve but due to prior knowledge of Vito’s actions and tricks Clair slowed down before getting to the curve and sure enough Vito had spilled a whole bunch of oil all over the road so that Clair’s car would not be able to turn and thus go into the ravine most likely killing Clair. Clair wrote to me in the mission-field and told me of the experience and then explained that Vito had just gotten out of prison prior to the night I had called the police on them at the station and that he was one bad cookie and would have easily followed through on his threat that he made that night.
I am so thankful for the Lord’s watchful care for Clair and myself.
