Of course, “getting gassed” can have several meanings. One of them is intoxicated, which was not the case for us, since neither of us has ever used alcohol. It also can refer to receiving gas for analgesic, therapeutic or euphoric purposes, which was also not the case. It can mean filling one's automobile fuel tank, which I did in Kinston, at 8-10 cents per gallon cheaper than was available anywhere between Smithfield and Kinston. But that was another matter.

The two of us, along with many others, did “get gassed.” There were no injuries, but there was anxiety, discomfort and inconvenience. It happened in Kinston, where we had gone for an appointment with our dentist. Hygienists Donna and Becky had just finished the teeth-cleaning part of our semiannual visit when a city fireman wearing full emergency gear came into the office and announced that our building and others close by must be evacuated immediately because of a gas leak. The Kinston Free Press reported the next morning that “a natural gas pipe broke near North Herritage Street,” a hundred or more yards from our location, resulting in natural gas leaking into the air and the evacuation of several dozen people from their homes and businesses, including the dentist's office and other offices at Kinston Clinic South.

The dental-office patients and staff and people from other offices moved quickly to the back of the lot or away from the buildings and waited, either to walk or be transported to a holding area or to an evacuation center. There were fire trucks, police cars and emergency vehicles blocking the streets. Having finished the teeth-cleaning part, Joyce and I might have just driven away, but starting automobiles was forbidden because spark-emitting ignitions could cause an explosion. Soon an EMS vehicle came to the lot. While its engine was still running, I asked the EMS attendant about the vehicle's ignition and learned that diesel engines do not emit sparks. While some of the younger people walked to a staging area on Glenwood Avenue, several of us older ones, one woman patient being 91, got aboard the EMS vehicle and were driven to the Emma Webb Park Gymnastics building, which, with its air-conditioning, made a good evacuation center and a comfortable shelter on a day whose temperature exceeded 90 degrees.

Without transportation and having no idea how long we would be there, I used my cell phone to make some arrangements. Part of the concern for Joyce and me was that our daughter, Donna Ariosa, whose birthday is just ahead, was coming to Smithfield later in the day for an overnight visit. Failing to reach her by phone and after calls to other family members, I decided to call our Smithfield backdoor neighbor, Geri Johnson, who with the help of our side-door neighbor, Carter Rabil, wrote notes for our daughter to be attached to the garage and front doors, just in case we were long delayed at the evacuation site.

Why we would be in Kinston for a dental visit is easy to explain. Dr. Britt Beasley had been our family dentist during the 18 years we lived in Kinston, where for 15 ˝ years I was the pastor of First Baptist Church. He retired in 1983 and his practice was assumed by Dr. Warren Perry, Jr., who continued as our dentist when we moved to Smithfield in 1990. After all, a good dentist having been found, like a good gynecologist to a woman or any proven physician, is a treasure and one whose services continue to be sought.

Since Dr. Beasley was our former dentist, I called him, offering to take him to lunch. At 88, he graciously consented to pick us up and took us to the Olympian Restaurant for very good chef's salad lunches. Because of the uncertainty of how long it would be before we were allowed to return to finish the dental work, he drove us close enough to the cordoned-off area to determine that the evacuation was over. We went back to the dental office, where Dr. Perry just after 2:00 PM finished his examination and discharged us. His hospitality was exceptional, because he, not knowing we had made arrangements for lunch, had secured two hamburgers from McDonald's, which he insisted that we take home with us.

Though causing only slight inconvenience for us, the incident demonstrated the professionalism of Kinston's firemen, EMS personnel, police and the dental staff, all of whom took prompt, efficient and cordial action to meet our needs. “Getting gassed” was minimal also, because the reported strong gas odor never got to us or bothered us. With the very real danger of an explosion and personal injury, we were fortunate to be spared any harm, so that our “getting gassed” resulted in a good experience after all.